NEW DELHI: Schools in the city will start physical classes from April, said the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its review meeting on Friday. Senior schools reopened on February 7 and primary from February 14. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asked the schools to follow a hybrid mode — allowing students to choose between online and offline classes. From April, there will be no online classes.
Bharat Arora, general secretary, Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools, said, “It is a relief to know that restrictions on mode of instruction will be lifted. The Committee, an umbrella body of over 2,000 schools from all categories, requested DDMA to allow fully offline classes from March 1 instead of April 1.”
However, Vividh Gupta, principal of Bal Bhawan Public School of Mayur Vihar Phase II, said, “The hybrid mode was taken up as a precautionary measure, but there were major challenges. Teachers were having a hard dealing with students online. We are happy now that things will get back to normal. Interactions and a healthy environment will be back to the schools.”
Expressing happiness over the decision, Dr. Satvir Sharma, principal of Vidya Bal Bhawan Senior Secondary School, said, “There were requests from parents to continue with hybrid mode as they did not want to send their children to school. However, those requests were few and our teachers were facing a lot of problems in taking double classes. Parents need not worry. The school is prepared to resume physical classes.”
A day before the meeting, the National Progressive Schools Conference, a consortium of more than 400 major private schools, had urged the L-G to bring an end to hybrid mode of learning.