Summary
There is no cap of 50% student strength and the schools are free to decide the number of students allowed in a class based on their infrastructure
Some of the pre-primary students will be attending classes at schools for the first time and teachers have been asked to provide emotional support to such kids
Schools in the national capital are gearing up to welcome the students of junior classes on February 14 even as some parents are still apprehensive about sending their children to schools.
Following a prolonged closure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Delhi reopened for classes IX to XII on February 7. On-campus sessions for students of classes nursery to VIII will resume on February 14 in Delhi.
"We are reopening in a phased manner. Communication through text messages and emails are disseminated to the parents. We are planning to take learning outside the classes in ventilated areas," said Shubhi Soni, the head of the Shri Ram Wonder Years school in Rohini.
Amita Sharma, the head of the primary wing of a school in East Delhi, said, "For the first month, we are just planning to let primary students settle down. Some of these students have never entered a school."
Schools in the city were briefly reopened before being closed again on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of the coronavirus driven by its Omicron variant.
While the Centre has dropped the clause of mandatory parental consent for students to physically attend schools from its guidelines and left it to the states and union territories, the Delhi government has decided to continue with it.
There is no cap of 50% student strength and the schools are free to decide the number of students based on their infrastructure so that the COVID protocols are followed.
"Parents, especially those whose wards are in junior classes, are still apprehensive. We sent out consent forms but the response is not very good. We are now planning to hold counselling sessions for parents to ease their worries," said the principal of a top private school on the condition of anonymity.
Using all the entry and exit gates, staggered lunch breaks, adequate thermal scanners and sanitisation of the premises are some of the guidelines laid down by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for the reopening of schools.
According to the standard operating procedure, lunch breaks may be staggered to avoid crowding and be held in an open areas, while campus counselling and guidance should be provided to the students to adjust to the new normal.
Teachers should speak to the students and mentally prepare them for the teaching and learning activities, along with providing emotional support.
Last updated on 13 Feb 2022
