Delhi: Reopen schools now

The delay in reopening schools is inexplicable and goes against scientific wisdom on Covid-19

It has now been three weeks since Delhi surmounted the peak of the current Covid-19 wave. The test positivity rate on Wednesday was under 5%, a globally accepted threshold to consider an outbreak under control. In fact, the situation, it is now clear, was always well within acceptable ranges when judged on parameters of hospital admission and fatality rates. Some of the most economically abrasive curbs have been lifted in the city, albeit after protestations from businesses and labour groups. The health department is now believed to have supported the lifting of all remaining restrictions. Yet, it has now been more than five weeks since schools in the city were closed and there is no word on when they will be opened. Between the first lockdown, the Delta variant-triggered 2021 outbreak and the annual pre-winter air pollution crisis, children in Delhi have barely seen the inside of a classroom or the expanse of a playground for most of the last two years.

Children in Delhi have barely seen the inside of a classroom or the expanse of a playground for most of the last two years.  (HT Photo/Samir Jana)

Experts have repeatedly flagged the damage this has done to not just learning levels but also the mental and physical health of children. This week, two large collectives representing almost all major schools appealed to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, who heads the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), to lift the curb on schools. The DDMA, the agency that makes the rules on Covid-19 related restrictions in the city, is expected to decide on this on Friday, more than a week after its last meeting, during which it rolled back the restrictions on business activity after appeals from communities and the elected government.

The delay in reopening Delhi’s schools is not just damaging but inexplicable. At least eight states have, in recent days, opened or set a date to reopen schools for in-person classes, including Maharashtra, which was one of the earliest hotspots of the current wave of infections along with the National Capital. On Thursday, Union health ministry officials expressed concern about the learning loss and said while the final decision rests with states, schools should be opened “at the earliest, appropriate, opportune time”. In other cities world over, especially global metropolises with adequate infrastructure and good vaccine coverage, schools remained open during the Omicron variant-triggered wave. Scientists have repeatedly said schools should be the last to close and first to reopen when curbs for Covid-19 are considered. In Delhi’s case, similar to the controversy regarding the other curbs, the decisions appear to go against scientific wisdom.