From November 1, 2021, all schools and colleges in New Delhi will reopen, with an online option to stay

Delhi Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that all schools in Delhi will be open physical from November 1 and the decision to open schools has been taken in view of the improvement in the situation of covid-19.

According to the state government’s daily health data, Delhi has added 38 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths have been reported on Wednesday. The positive percentage of the samples analyzed was 0.06 percent, which has been stable for months.

According to the government, DDMA officials, and specialists, Suspension or in-person classes in schools have a significant impact on children’s overall growth. Therefore, the Authority believes it is now safe to reopen schools completely. “All public and private schools will be allowed to open all classes for in-person attendance beginning November 1,” Sisodia stated at a news conference following the DDMA meeting.

According to Sisodia, parents will not be compelled to send their children to school, and courses will continue in a hybrid model. “Will compel no parent to send his or her child to school.” According to Sisodia, online lessons will resume on Monday, which also stated that all other educational institutions would reopen on Monday.

From September 1, the government permitted the return of physical education classes for students in grades 9 through 12 and colleges, subject to strict Covid-19 protocols.

While the Covid-19 situation in the Capital is under control, Sisodia cautioned that people should not become complacent during the impending holiday season.

“The COVID problem is under control,” he continued, “but given the current scenario in a few nations and the impending festivals, we must be alert and not let our guard down.”

When physical education classes restart, the government has instructed schools to ensure that attendance is not 50%.

According to Sisodia, schools must ensure that no more than 50% of students in each class are called to the school, and all staff must be fully vaccinated as quickly as feasible.

Sisodia said that 98 percent of teaching and non-teaching employees had gotten at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccination, citing numbers provided at the DDMA conference.

“By now, almost every school employee in the city has received at least one dosage of the vaccination.” “At the earliest opportunity, we are attempting to attain 100 percent immunization in this area,” he stated.

Currently, India’s immunization campaign is limited to adults, with only one vaccine — Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D – receiving permission for use in children over the age of 12.

“If the situation worsens, schools can always be requested to go back to online mode,” Sisodia stated in response to concerns about a possible third wave. The circumstances will determine it.”

The commission also recommended that schools resume on October 1, citing that senior class attendance had grown by up to 80%.

However, based on expert advice, DDMA chose not to reopen schools at that time because of the forthcoming festivities. Parents and instructors had different feelings about the decision to reopen schools. Many school administrations have stated that they are unlikely to resume next week.

According to Madhulika Sen, senior adviser at Tagore International School, organizing transportation will be a considerable challenge. “Assembling transportation will be a crucial component if we are to call back kids of all grades.” We must maintain physical separation in buses as well, and with 50% seating capacity in both buses and classrooms, costs will rise. We’ll have to assess if parents can afford those costs.

In addition, it will be challenging to arrange bus services if other classes have varied start times. Logistically, it will be challenging. “This will take time to plan, and reopening on November 1 is not an option,” she said.

“Based on our experience calling students in classes 6 to 8 from November, primary classes could begin in December.” Many schools also serve as vaccination centers, which should be taken out of school grounds so that schools can fully operate as educational institutions.

We won’t call all students simultaneously due to limited seating space; therefore, courses will be called on alternate days. Sukhbir Singh Yadav, president of the government school principals’ association, said, “This way, students can attend courses at least three times a week.”