NEW DELHI: After a gap of almost 10 months, schools in Delhi will re-open on January 18 for Classes X and XII, who will be appearing for board examinations in May-June.
“Keeping the CBSE boards examinations in view, the Delhi government has given permission to reopen schools from January for practicals, revisions and pre-board preparations. Students will be called with the consent of parents and (attending school) is not compulsory,” said Deputy CM and Education Minister Manish Sisodia.
However, teachers, students and other staff from containment zones will not be allowed in the schools.
Udit Prakash, Director, Directorate of Education (DoE) said, “In the beginning, only Class X and XII students will be called to schools as they have to appear for board exams. The students of Class IX and XI will also be soon called to schools for classroom teaching.”
“The syllabus for Class XII has been almost completed through online classes, but learning through physical classes is a very different thing. Extra classes and revisions will be given and the students will be prepared for practicals and pre-board examinations,” he added.
As per the SOPs. the schools will maintain a record of students attending physical classed but attendance will remain optional.
Extra-curricular and outdoor activities will remain prohibited. Thermal screening and hand sanitisation will be compulsory in classes, labs and public utility.
The schools have been further directed to ensure six-feet social distancing and have staggered timings to avoid crowding.
The schools were also told to conduct a special orientation programme to provide emotional support to students and teachers for ensuring strict adherence to the new normal of stringent physical distancing, face mask and hygiene rules.
The CBSE examinations for Classes X and XII will commence on May 4. The practicals and internal assessment for Class XII will be held from March 1 while the pre-board exams will be conducted between March 20 and April 14. For Class X, the practicals will start in February and the preboards will be from April 1-15. The decision to re-open schools has received mixed response from stakeholders.
Teachers wary of ‘double burden’ if schools restart
“Many children, particularly in government schools, could not attend online classes due to lack of resources. They will get a chance to cover the missed topics and get their doubts cleared,” said Sant Ram, district secretary of Government School Teachers’ Association.
However, he wondered how the teachers deployed on Covid duties will handle the double burden.
“At least 400 subject teachers are deployed for vaccination and other Covid duties. The government should think about the teachers,” he said.
Sumit Vohra, father of a Class X student, said, “Will the government assure children will not get infected and that the private schools will not hike the fees? I’ll not send my daughter to school till the situation becomes completely normal.”
On the other hand, a parent of a Class XII student of a Delhi government school said, “My son missed online classes due to lack of smartphone and computer. He will now be able to prepare for the board exams under the supervision of teachers.” Dheeraj, a Class X student of Government Boys School in West Delhi, said he was excited to go to school.
“Due to lack of resources and direct interaction with teachers, I couldn’t understand many topics. I will be able to clear all the doubts once the school reopens.”