School closures: Ignorant, unscientific govt machinery 'playing' with children's future

By Dr Maya Valecha*
If you want to stop the future of our children being ruined, it is time to wake up and stir the ignorant, unscientific (government) machinery.
It has been proved by many studies and by practical experience in some countries where schools, even day-care centres for kids were not closed and children were not forced masks or distancing and still nothing happened to them.
In the first week of May the results of an Australian study showed that children get very mild Corona if at all they get and they don't even spread. And after coming from school, they don't affect the elders at home.
The schools started in Denmark in the first week of September without mask for teachers or children and without distancing. Nothing happened to anybody there.
A report from Maharashtra in August also said that children below 20 years don't get severe Corona, a very low death rate, and that too in the children having diabetes, heart disease or such major underlying illness.
As such it's true for all others that masks don't make any difference on the coronavirus spread but a study in Germany has found that children have negative psychological effects by wearing mask.
On March 9 this year the minister for children in UK said that children are not forced to wear mask or follow distancing in the school.
On January 28, 2021, a study in USA has again proved that Corona becomes serious only in the children having diabetes heart disease or any such other disease.
A report from Mayo clinic in USA also says the same thing.
The example of Sweden is very important. They never closed the schools for children, never had masks and distancing. Nothing happened, anything to anybody there.
"Economist"articles between April and November showed that, when they become adult, their earning capacity will be reduced, especially they will be 30 years of age if they lose so much of school time. (10) And because children felt lonely in the absence of schools, psychological illnesses and even suicide was seen.
Even today we are getting reports from Surat, Vadodara and maybe at many places that they are testing thousands of students without any symptoms, and even if one child has positive report, the whole school is closed. Officials do it without having been instructed on this. So total chaos is going on.
UNICEF has said that closing schools during pandemic was the biggest mistake. There is no relationship between pandemic and schools functioning.
Experts have confirmed that letting children catch Covid may be safer than giving them vaccine. Allowing children to catch Covid may be better than exposing them to the "risk" of vaccines, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said
Prof Robert Dingwall said children may be “better protected by natural immunity generated through infection than by asking them to take the ‘possible’ risk of a vaccine”.
We are messing up with our children's future. Online education is offered 2 to 3 years old children! This is not sensible. One should not just keep mum.
It is necessary for sensible people to collect together and give memorandum to the government, the collector collectors and other responsible officials and ask them to start schools regularly, looking at all the scientific evidences. Children don't need mask, they don't need distancing. It is our responsibility to see that their present and future are not spoiled.

---

*Senior doctor and activist based in Surat

Comments

Countrywide protest by gig workers puts spotlight on algorithmic exploitation

By A Representative A nationwide protest led largely by women gig and platform workers was held across several states on February 3, with the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) claiming the mobilisation as a success and a strong assertion of workers’ rights against what it described as widespread exploitation by digital platform companies. Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states, covering major cities including New Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with multiple districts across the country.

CFA flags ‘welfare retreat’ in Union Budget 2026–27, alleges corporate bias

By Jag Jivan The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

'Gandhi Talks': Cinema that dares to be quiet, where music, image and silence speak

By Vikas Meshram In today’s digital age, where reels and short videos dominate attention spans, watching a silent film for over two hours feels almost like an act of resistance. Directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar, “Gandhi Talks” is a bold cinematic experiment that turns silence into language and wordlessness into a powerful storytelling device. The film is not mere entertainment; it is an experience that pushes the viewer inward, compelling reflection on life, values, and society.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

The Epstein shock, global power games and India’s foreign policy dilemma

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The “Epstein” tsunami has jolted establishments everywhere. Politicians, bureaucrats, billionaires, celebrities, intellectuals, academics, religious gurus, and preachers—all appear to be under scrutiny, even dismantled. At first glance, it may seem like a story cutting across left, right, centre, Democrats, Republicans, socialists, capitalists—every label one can think of. Much of it, of course, is gossip, as people seek solace in the possible inclusion of names they personally dislike.

Michael Parenti: Scholar known for critiques of capitalism and U.S. foreign policy

By Harsh Thakor* Michael Parenti, an American political scientist, historian, and author known for his Marxist and anti-imperialist perspectives, died on January 24 at the age of 92. Over several decades, Parenti wrote and lectured extensively on issues of capitalism, imperialism, democracy, media, and U.S. foreign policy. His work consistently challenged dominant political and economic narratives, particularly those associated with Western liberal democracies and global capitalism.

Paper guarantees, real hardship: How budget 2026–27 abandons rural India

By Vikas Meshram In the history of Indian democracy, the Union government’s annual budget has always carried great significance. However, the 2026–27 budget raises several alarming concerns for rural India. In particular, the vague provisions of the VBG–Ram Ji scheme and major changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) have put the future of rural workers at risk. A deeper reading of the budget reveals that these changes are not merely administrative but are closely tied to political and economic priorities that will have far-reaching consequences for millions of rural households.

Penpa Tsering’s leadership and record under scrutiny amidst Tibetan exile elections

By Tseten Lhundup* Within the Tibetan exile community, Penpa Tsering is often described as having risen through grassroots engagement. Born in 1967, he comes from an ordinary Tibetan family, pursued higher education at Delhi University in India, and went on to serve as Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from 2008 to 2016. In 2021, he was elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), becoming the second democratically elected political leader of the administration after Lobsang Sangay.

Search This Blog