About 12,000 schools which are members of Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) started offline classes on Monday, claimed Dr Sanjay Tayade Patil, Founder President of MESTA. On Sunday, he had announced that 18,000 of its member schools would start offline classes on Monday. Dr Tayade Patil, on Monday, had a conversation with MESTA’s office-bearers throughout Maharashtra. He told ‘The Hitavada’ on phone from Aurangabad, “As per my estimation about 12,000 schools, mostly in rural areas, have started offline classes. In Nagpur region too, 40 schools started offline classes. We neither pressurised parents, nor took any illegal step. We sought parents’ consent who gave good response to us.

 

Accordingly, we decided to conduct offline classes.” MESTA member schools include schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) along with those affiliated to Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. As compared to rural areas, less number of schools in city started offline classes on Monday. According to Dr Tayade, in cities most schools yet to receive the consent letter from parents. The scare of coronavirus is more in cities.

 

Meanwhile, Dr Tayade Patil had a meeting with Rajesh Tope, State Health Minister at Aurangabad where he assured to take decision on starting offline classes by Wednesday during Cabinet meeting. Supriya Sule, senior leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and MP called Tayade Patil and extended her support to MESTA’s demand. Dr Patil said, “We too are concerned about the children as far as coronavirus is taken into consideration. At the same time their mental growth too is important. If they stay at home then it would hamper their creative and innovative development which is not good.”