Already India faces a rapid-growing second wave of pandemic – covid-19, where almost all educational institutions are closed there. Only 25 % parents are willing to send their wards to school in April after reopening of schools as per a survey by LocalCircles.

Lineage B.1.1.7, also known as 20I/501Y.V1 or UK variant, British variant, or Kent variant, is a variant of SARS-CoV-2. This virus causes COVID-19, which has a high chance of transmissibility within children as well as young adolescents, the majority of parents have expressed concerns.

Whereas almost 73-75% of parents believe that physical schools must not operate if active cases in that particular district are above 100.

After a survey, the result has given the enormous growth of COVID-19 cases, which have been experienced in the last three weeks. Hence the second decision is taken for the schools should be closed from April to June in 2021.

On the basis of active case counts, that decision may be changed in a particular district along with the variant-type reported, the daily case curve to authorize District Magistrates to allow the schools to operate as long as active cases are less than 100.

Where there the Board Exams for Class 10 and 12 are usually held in the month of May, then the Central and State Boards will need to make another decision based on the national situation. The possibility of conducting the Board Exam both online and offline needs to take into consideration if the problem remains unchanged.

The survey found that three data which has been released last week as follows -

First, the Chief Minister of Punjab informed that after genome testing done by the State, the result was that 81 % of the Covid-19 samples were found to be of B.1.1.7 as the UK variant of SARS-COV2.

Secondly, in next day, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that in this year 2021, the B.1.1.7, which has increased the numbers of the virus rapidly in the country, is more transmissible than its original strain and is more life-threatening to children and young people, and we need to focus on the protection of schools.

Later on, it was informed that Bengaluru, in the month of March has reported approximately 500 active cases of COVID-19 in children under the age of 10.

The kind of massive spread of Covid, experienced in many parts of India, which have led to 6 times more growth in daily cases since the last 45 days, reveals that there are different types of strain from the original one in 2021.

With the limited testing of the genome, only about 700 positive cases of B.1.1.7 have been officially identified.

With the knowledge of the rapid spreading of Covid-19 in several states and districts across India since last 45 days, LocalCircles thought to conduct another survey to understand whether the parents are willing to send their children to school from April or not and also to calculate a measure of opinions which can be used to reopen the schools.

Based on the report of the latest surge in growth of Covid cases, only 25 percent of parents are willing to send their children to school in April after the reopening of schools.

The first focus in the survey sought to understand parents' consciousness about sending their children or grandchildren to school in April if the Central or State Government or District administration decide that schools should reopen.

In conclusion, only 25 percent of parents said positive willingness about the sending of children to schools. The majority of 58 percent of parents disagree with the decision of sending their children to schools. Whereas also 10 percent of parents said that schools for their children or grandchildren are shut in April for summer vacation, while 7 percent couldn't say anything about that.

Recently, the daily active cases of covid-19 in India have again crossed the almost 65,000-mark; more than six times of active cases had been recorded in early February. Maharashtra shows the report with the highest peaks to date, with over 40,000 cases being reported on a particular day.

Gathering all data from many European countries after demonstrating the dangerous transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 strain of the Coronavirus, confirmation that Punjab has 81 percent of the cases of the type of B.1.1.7, and the fact that it is shown that the impact upon children much more than the previous strain of 2020, it is time to be more cautious than before ones.

At this time, many states in the country still have double-digit active Covid 19 cases; in s schools, board exams are in probability for classes 10 and 12, and even there are so many schools that do not have the facility to conduct online classes properly. Local Circles asked for the opinions of parents on what should be the criteria for reopening physical schools.

In response, 29 percent of parents said that in-person schools should remain closed whenever active cases in a district exceed 100; whereas 18 percent concluded that in-person schools be closed whenever active cases in a district exceed 200; again, 7 percent said in-person schools be closed whenever active cases in a district exceed 500, and 5 percent declared that in-person schools be closed whenever active cases in district exceed 1000.

There are different polls, so after breaking down the poll, 21 % said that schools should be kept closed till there are any cases in the district, but the other 6% couldn't say. The findings of the poll indicated that 73 % of parents agree to send their children to schools from the next session to be open as long as there are less than 100 active Covid cases in their particular district or location. Though education through physical activity like going to school, attending the classes physically all of these are much more important but not the health-conscious. This is the time where we have to think about the protection of future generations.