Delhi govt unlikely to cancel summer break in schools

A senior Delhi government official said that the education department is taking suggestions from schools, parents and other stakeholders on what can be done about the summer vacations.

Even though the nationwide lockdown has been extended by 19 days, the Delhi government is unlikely to cancel summer vacations in schools this year.

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Although some private schools are of the view that the summer break can be advanced this year to avoid academic loss, government officials said Delhi’s ‘harsh weather conditions’ won’t allow them to continue regular classes in May and June.

All private and public schools in the city have been closed since March 13 given the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. In Delhi schools, the summer break starts in the second week of May and continues until June. Schools reopen in the first week of July.

A senior Delhi government official said that the education department is taking suggestions from schools, parents and other stakeholders on what can be done about the summer vacations. “It’s impossible for us to cancel the summer break considering the harsh weather conditions of Delhi in May and June. We can’t risk the lives of students. We are considering conducting classes for senior students from 9am to 12pm for some days in June. We are yet to decide on this. It’s highly unlikely that schools will reopen before July for all students in Delhi,” the official said.

Many private schools across the city said that it would be better if the government advances the summer break this year. “The government can declare this lockdown period as a summer break and restart the school session by the last week of June. However, the government’s concern over the weather conditions in Delhi during that time is also genuine. They can also come up with a class-wise summer break plan to avoid academic loss,” Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu School in Rohini, said.

Alka Kapur, principal of Modern Public School in Shalimar Bagh, said that if the summer break is advanced the school will be able to make up for the loss. “There are many students who are not being to attend online classes. We need to think about these students as well. We can cover their loss if we start early. We will be able to make up for the losses if schools reopen by mid-June. We can hold classes for a shorter duration,” she said.

Amita Wattal, principal of Springdales School in Pusa Road, said, “We need to take a lot of things into consideration before deciding anything about the academic calendar. All the schools can’t hold classes in June. Not all schools are air-conditioned.”

Meanwhile, both private and public schools in the city have already started conducting online classes for their students to continue learning amid the lockdown. The schools are also sending students worksheets and activities via emails, WhatsApp and SMS daily.

The Delhi government is also considering a tie-up with a television channel soon to cover all students. “We are in talks with some channels. We are planning to get four hours’ airtime every day for classes 9 to 12,” said the official.