Delhi schools will now be closed until October 31 (Representative)
New Delhi:
All schools in Delhi will remain closed until October 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia said on Sunday afternoon. The Delhi government had previously ordered schools in the national capital to close until October 5, but allowed online classes to continue, which have become the norm in recent weeks and months with the need for social distancing.
Earlier this week, the center, in its announcement of “Unblocking 5”, or the fifth phase of easing Covid restrictions, allowed state and union governments to decide on the reopening of schools, colleges and other educational institutions on a staggered basis after October 15.
“The decision will be made in consultation with the (administration of) the respective school / institution, based on their assessment of the situation,” the Interior Ministry said, adding, however, that online and distance learning was the way. teaching preferred this time.
“When schools conduct classes online, and some students prefer to attend classes online rather than physically attending school, they may be allowed to do so,” the center said, adding: “Students can attend schools / institutions only with the written consent of the parents. “
The center said governments that choose to restart schools must ensure that attendance is not met and that it depends on parental consent. State and UT governments were asked to develop their own SoPs (standard operating protocols) for use in schools.
Educational institutions across the country were closed in March after the nationwide coronavirus shutdown. There have been concerns about restarting schools amid the pandemic, given that those under the age of 10 are seen as particularly vulnerable to infection.
Although various parts of the country and the economy have slowly reopened since May, schools and other educational institutions remain, for the most part, closed, and online classes and distance education are favored whenever possible.
However, at the same time, recognizing some of the problems students face, last month the center allowed students in grades 9-12 to visit their schools (as long as they are outside the containment zones) to clarify questions and receive guidance from teachers.
Students visiting schools for such purposes must, according to the center, have written permission from their parents and can only do so in shifts on certain days of the week. Along with this order, schools were allowed to withdraw 50 percent of teaching and non-teaching staff.
Delhi, which faced a deeply troubling spike in Covid cases a few weeks ago that pushed it to second place on the list of the worst affected states in the country, still has nearly three lakh of confirmed cases. Of these, more than 5,400 are deaths related to the virus and around 25,000 are active cases.
Across India, more than 75,000 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, with 940 deaths related to the virus. The total number of cases has exceeded 65 lakh.
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