A city school has decided to give a week’s break to both students and teachers from online classes and asked students to utilise this period to read books and pursue their hobbies.

South Point school issued the notice to all parents on Wednesday and said the “short recess” had been planned so that teachers and pupils got a break from screen time and could “resume their virtual classes after the recess in a refreshed state of mind”.

The authorities later told The Telegraph that just as students needed a break from screen time, teachers, too, needed to recover from the stress resulting from taking classes online.

The notice from the principal has asked parents to strengthen their bond with their children and encourage them to read.

“These are tough times for all of us and more so for the young ones. Please encourage your wards to use this break to read story books and pursue their hobbies and hope you will be able to spend quality time with your children and strengthen your bond,” the notice reads.

The recess will stretch from July 20 to 25 and online classes will resume on July 27.

“The mental and physical health of our stakeholders, including our pupils and their teachers, is always our concern and we realise that they deserve a much needed break from their untiring efforts. Therefore we have decided to have a short recess… so that teachers and pupils alike get a break from screen time and can resume their virtual classes after the recess in a refreshed state of mind,” the principal wrote.

This is the third short break the school is giving since online classes started in April. The summer break, too, was for a week.

“It is better to give short breaks so that students do not lose out on studies and simultaneously get time off from the screen,” said Krishna Damani, trustee, South Point. “Even teachers need this break.”

The Centre has advocated limited screen time for students and teachers. At least two schools in the city have decided to reduce the screen time, abiding by the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

La Martiniere for Girls will reduce the sessions for middle school (Classes VI to VIII) and senior school (IX to XII) by 40 minutes each. For the primary section, it is within the stipulated duration.

St James’ School will reduce eight periods to four for Classes IX to XII. Classes I to VIII will have three periods of 30 minutes each.

“It is strenuous for students to be looking at the laptop or the phone for so many hours at a stretch,” said Terence Ireland, the principal of St James’.

Several other schools like La Martiniere for Boys, Sri Sri Academy and Delhi Public School Ruby Park said they are studying the guidelines.