Manish Sisodia: Government to recommend school reopening in DDMA meeting

The Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said that the Delhi government will be recommending the reopening of schools at the DDMA meeting to be held on Thursday.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia said on Wednesday that the state government will recommend the reopening of schools in Delhi during the DDMA meeting because school reopening has become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children.

The deputy chief minister asserted that online education can never replace offline education and that the Delhi government had closed schools when it was unsafe for children to attend physical classes, but excessive caution is now harming students.

Considering the improved situation in the state, a meeting to discuss easing restrictions has been called by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

The matter of school reopening is also on the agenda.

Speaking on children's increased dependency on technology, the deputy chief minister said, "In the past two years, school children's lives have been confined to their rooms. Instead of going to schools and spending time in playgrounds, all their activities now take place only on mobile phones."

Explaining further, he said, "The pandemic induced school closures have not only affected their studies but also their mental health. During COVID, our priority was children's safety."

"But since various researches have now found that Covid-19 is not so harmful for kids, it is important to reopen the schools, as now is the time for exams and related preparations," he added further.