Delhi govt to discuss reopening school for classes 6-8 at next DDMA meeting

In August, DDMA set up a committee of experts that included officials of education and health departments to work on a strategy for re-opening schools and educational institutes in Delhi.

New Delhi: The Delhi government is planning to discuss the reopening of schools for students of classes 6 to 8 in the upcoming Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting as per the graded response advised by the expert committee, officials in the education department said on Tuesday.

Schools were allowed to open for classes 9-12 from September 1 in the national capital. (Raj K Raj/HT)

“Since the current DDMA order is valid till September 15, the discussions on the next step will happen before that. The expert committee constituted by DDMA called for a graded response, meaning schools will first reopen for classes 9 to 12 followed by 6 to 8, and then primary classes if the situation remained conducive. Now that schools have started functioning and we haven’t seen the spread of the coronavirus in schools or violation of Covid-19 protocols, we propose to discuss reopening of classes 6 to 8 in the next phase,” a senior official of the education department said, requesting anonymity.

In August, DDMA set up a committee of experts that included officials of education and health departments to work on a strategy for re-opening schools and educational institutes in Delhi. The committee submitted its suggestions on August 25, recommending graded reopening for schools beginning with students of classes 9 to 12 followed by junior classes.

Schools in the national capital were allowed to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from September 1. The DDMA order issued on August 30 asked schools to follow all SOPs on Covid-appropriate behaviour and rope in parents while planning the measures to be undertaken by schools to ensure safety. Several private schools have expressed confidence over reopening schools for junior classes.

Malini Narayanan, chairperson of the National Progressive Schools’ Conference which has 122 Delhi schools under its umbrella, said that private schools were mostly keen on having younger students back to school.

“Studies have shown that younger children are more resilient than older ones and students in the age group for classes 6 to 8 are have also learned how to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Though there are some apprehensions, parents and children across schools are mostly keen about the resumption of in-person classes. If schools reopen for classes 6 to 8, more students will be coming to school which might help schools start transport and school bus services. That will be a big factor in getting more students back to school as lack of bus facilities is a major problem for parents.”

Several health experts also recommend reopening schools for all age groups as there is no evidence that it would lead to a greater infection risk among children. The Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine also came out with an advisory report on Sunday pointing out that keeping children at home further may lead to lasting social and developmental impairment along with increasing inequality among privileged and underprivileged children.

“School closures not only exposed the socio-economic educational inequality but also exacerbated it as it relied heavily on family support and resources available both in the home and at the school. The closure of schools has not only differentially interrupted the learning of students but also restricted their opportunity for overall physical, social and emotional development in a way that could have lasting repercussions,” the report stated.

However, government school principals have expressed concerns over the reopening of junior classes. Government school principal Sukhbir Singh Yadav, president of Vice and Principals’ Association of Delhi, said, “Our staff has been engaged in Covid-19 duties including those at the airport, working at vaccination centres at schools and hospitals. Even available trained graduate teachers (TGTs) are busy with classes 9 and 10 because the students have been split into multiple groups to follow physical distancing. There is also a space crunch in several schools. Besides, the festive season is coming and in such a scenario, it would be prudent to wait a few weeks till taking a call on the matter.”