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Maharashtra schools to reopen from Jan 24; Delhi waits
In Delhi, officials suggested they will wait for more signs to take any decision on rolling back curbs, which meant schools -- shut five times since April 2020 – continue to be closed.
The Maharashtra government on Thursday announced reopening of schools for classes 1 to 12 from January 24, with strict adherence to Covid protocols, a move supported by experts who say schools need not be closed, especially in places where case rates have been falling or hospital admissions have been stable.
In Delhi, officials suggested they will wait for more signs to take any decision on rolling back curbs, which meant schools -- shut five times since April 2020 – continue to be closed even though teachers and experts warned this was derailing teaching-learning and adversely impacting the mental health of children.
While Maharashtra recorded 46,197 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, Delhi added 12,306 cases. In both regions, the number of new cases have fallen since peaks earlier this month.
Announcing the reopening of classes in Maharashtra, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said: “The chief minister gave consent to reopen offline schools for classes 1 to 12. Till now, pre-primary schools too were shut. But we have decided to reopen pre-primary schools as well. Wherever Covid cases have gone down, the schools will reopen from January 24. However, Covid-appropriate behaviour, the SOPs issued by the government must be followed by the schools.”
“We are not talking about a blanket reopening of schools. Local bodies are empowered to decide depending on the Covid-19 situation in the city or district,” she added.
Schools in Maharashtra were closed in the first week of January after the number of coronavirus cases started spiraling from December amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant.
Maharashtra also recorded 37 fatalities, the health department said.
In Delhi, the Maharashtra decision sparked calls for the authorities in the Capital to follow suit.
Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, said it was crucial for children to return to the classrooms now. “At least for students in senior classes, the government can reopen schools. Most students aged 15+ have received the first dose of the vaccine. The government can undertake a phased reopening for these classes followed by junior classes,” said Arora.
A Delhi government spokesperson said that there were no immediate plans of reopening schools in the Capital.
In Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said schools in Mumbai might reopen from January 27 onwards. “We are in a positive frame and keep everything ready from our end. Still we need to wait for the final orders and SOPs from the state government before going ahead and making an official announcement from our end,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner on Thursday.
Gaikwad said the department was receiving several representations from various stakeholders to reopen schools, and the department has made the decision to keep the safety of children in mind.
“We have received several representations from parents associations, schools, elected representatives, etc, to reopen schools. They all contended that the children are missing out on the social environment, school atmosphere, interactions etc. Our priority has always been the safety of children but as the Covid cases are reducing we decided to reopen schools, and the decision will remain with the local municipal bodies,” the minister said.
