Delhi school reopening welcomed by teachers

Teachers have welcomed Delhi schools reopening while ensuring that the health of students will remain a priority.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided on Friday to reopen schools and colleges in a phased manner from February 7 post a decline in Covid-19 cases with many teachers welcoming the step. Currently, the schools are reopening for Classes 9,10,12; whereas, the schools will reopen for the rest of classes from February 14. The decision was taken following a Covid-19 review meeting of the DDMA.

The DDMA issued an order on Friday easing Covid-19 restrictions in Delhi. It approved the reopening of hybrid schools for grades 9 through 12.

Hybrid classrooms will continue, according to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, although universities will be instructed to avoid online sessions in favour of offline ones.

All higher educational institutions, colleges, ITIs, polytechnic,s and skill institutes were directed to only take offline classes from Monday by the DDMA via its order.

The schools, on the other hand, have been told to operate in a hybrid fashion, with both online and offline sessions.

"For a very long time, our association had been demanding that schools should be opened because schools were opened in almost all of the states of the country. Even schools outside the country have opened," said RC Jain, the president of the Delhi State Public School's Management Association.

He added further, "The World Health Organization (WHO) has also said that now there is no justification for closing the school. So, now schools will be opened. I welcome it and that too, in phases."