This is about the future citizens of our great nation, India. The children of our country in the school-going age group of 4-17 years are NOT vaccinated. Schools across the country have started offline classes, especially for Grades 9-12. But has the Government - Central & State - made Hybrid classes MANDATORY in private schools?

Although schools are functioning offline, not all parents are comfortable sending their children to attend offline school because their child is NOT VACCINATED.

The decision to send their child to school has to be vested entirely with the parents, given the situation that children below age 18 years are not vaccinated in India, due to lack of suitable vaccine for this age group.

I urge the Honourable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, The Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, The Union Education Ministry, The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Karnataka Education Ministry,  Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh, the Boards of Education (CBSE & ICSE) - to support the parents in this matter - by making it MANDATORY for all private schools offering offline classes to compulsorily provide the live streaming of the offline classes (Hybrid classes) without any excuses. This is especially so for students in Grades 9, 10, 11, & 12.

There are schools like Presidency School Bangalore South, Bengaluru, that are NOT providing the hybrid classes (on some pretext) and forcing the students to attend offline school, claiming their staff is fully vaccinated and that they follow Covid protocols. These private schools operating in offline mode are aiming to function in full strength inside each classroom. Do these private schools guarantee that the classroom seating arrangements adhere to the mandatory 2-meter social distancing (as per Covid Protocol) between any two students -- 360-degrees for each and every student inside each classroom - at all times - in offline school?

These private schools are insensitive to the fact that their "customers" (children) are NOT VACCINATED. Such schools are only concerned about their school's performance in the Board exams (which they claim is the reason that all students have to attend offline school) which they "use" to give a boost to their next year's admission.

Given the fact that children in Grades 9-12 are attached to a particular Board, as per the school affiliation, the parents are helpless because they cannot change the school of their child and are also additionally burdened to pay the school fees when the private schools do not give (the hybrid - live streaming mode) education for their child.

God forbid if anything happens to the children attending offline school - as they are NOT VACCINATED - is the government or the private schools going to take any responsibility for the lives of the children (under age 18)??? Are the private schools and the State/Central government accountable for any child's life for the risks associated with the pandemic ??? The children are the assets of the parents, besides being the national asset - as they are the future citizens who have to take this great nation to even greater heights in all fields.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW: The Ministry of Education both at the Centre and State governments; the Education Boards - the respective State Boards, CBSE & ICSE Boards - should mandate that all private schools have HYBRID classes (live streaming of offline classes) MANDATORY for all classes, especially 9th to 12th Grades - until children below 18 years are fully vaccinated.