Delhi Private Schools Demand Physical Classes be Allowed for Classes 6 to 8

Several private schools in the national capital are demanding that physical classes be allowed for classes 6 to 8 at the earliest. The Delhi State Public Schools Management Association (DSPSMA) has said it will stage a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence if schools are not reopened for classes 6 to 8 till September 24.

“The schools have reopened for classes 9 to 12 and there have been no complaints so far. The attendance in private schools will improve further if they start providing bus services which all of them are not doing at present,” DSPSMA president RC Jain said.

“What is the harm in reopening for classes 6 to 8 now? We are waiting for the government order on this and will stage a protest outside CM residence if a decision is not taken to reopen schools for these classes till September 24,” he added in a statement.

Following a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the national capital, the Delhi government had last month announced that schools for classes 9 to 12, colleges, and coaching institutions would reopen from September 1. The Delhi government had clarified that no student would be forced to attend physical classes and the consent of parents would be mandatory.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is expected to make a decision about reopening schools for more classes, later this week. Allowing only 50 per cent of students per classroom, mandatory thermal screening, staggered lunch breaks, alternate seating arrangements, and avoiding routine guest visits are among the guidelines announced by the DDMA for reopening of schools and colleges from September 1.

The DDMA had said students, teachers, and non-teaching staff living in Covid containment zones will not be allowed to come to schools and colleges. Schools in the national capital were ordered shut last year in March ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

While several states started partial reopening of schools in October last year, the Delhi government allowed physical classes only for grades 9-12 in January this year, which were again suspended following the exponential rise in COVID-19 cases during the aggressive second wave.

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