Covid-19 Cases declining, schools await Delhi govt directions to resume offline classes

Source: The Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Phased reopening of schools may be discussed in the upcoming parent’s teacher meeting of Delhi government schools arranged to be held between July 19 and 31, heads of government schools have said. With the Covid-19 cases lingering below 100 for the past two weeks, and the positivity rate staying less than 1% for over a month, the heads of schools said they were waiting for directions from the state government to restart offline classes. To be sure, only the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is authorized to decide if schools should be reopened or not. The DDMA last week announced opening of school halls for academic activities, but with up to 50% of their attendance capacity.

Rakesh Semalty, head of a government school in West Jyoti Nagar, said it was essential to call students back to schools in a stunned manner to avoid “serious repercussions”. “These children have been in their homes for around 16 months now... Since a majority of parents and school staff have been vaccinated, we can consider calling senior students back to school in a staggered manner while maintaining social distancing. Parents have been approaching us, asking us to hold at least one or two classes a week so that there is some involvement for students,” he said.

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