TCV schools shut as precautionary measure amid Coronavirus outbreak
DHARAMSALA, 3 March: Tibetan Children’s Village(TCV) Schools in India, the largest residential school for the destitute Tibetan children in exile have been temporarily closed down as a “precautionary measure” amid Covid-19 outbreak.
TCV schools President Thupten Dorjee announced the temporary closure of the schools as a “precautionary measure” urging the general public not to panic as it described the measure as “prioritising the safety of the students” against the pandemic crisis as there are “over 8,000 children are under its care”.
Founded with just 51 children as a nursery in 1960, TCV has thrived to become the largest residential school for the destitute Tibetan children in exile. TCV now has its branch in Ladakh in North to Bylakuppee in South India with over 8,000 children under its care
The president has further said that Upper TCV alone has nearly 1400 students and it is beyond the TCV School’s capacity to contain a crisis of this nature in the event of an outbreak at any of the TCV Schools.
“Safety of the students is more important than resuming classes at the moment,” Dorjee declared.
The announcement came after India reported three fresh Covid-19 cases this week; one from the capital and one each from Telangana state and Karnataka state.
TCV schools were to reopen tomorrow after the annual winter holiday but following the development, except for students from class 9, 10 and 12 who have to sit for board exams, the school will remain closed for about two months until further notification from the authorities.
Though the TCV Director has maintained that the sudden decision was taken after meeting with the board, it has left students and parents alike in confusion as they concurred that had authorities communicated with them the decision a bit earlier it would have saved their money and time as they now have to take back their children after arriving at the school to drop them.
Meanwhile, 5 Schools in Delhi-NCR were shut down temporarily until 9th March 2020 as a precautionary measure, after a parent of a student studying there tested positive for CoVID-19.
