Coaching institutes across Delhi opt for restricted opening
(PTI desk)
It was a "limited opening" for most of the coaching institutes across Delhi on Wednesday as they were finally allowed to resume physical classes after being closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Notably, the Delhi government had last week announced that schools for Classes IX to XII, colleges, and coaching institutions will reopen from September 1.
Some institutes allowed students to visit centers for doubts, queries
Where coaching chains like Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) and Vidyamandir allowed some students to visit its centers for "doubts and other academic-related queries," GS Score Institute, an institute for civil services in Karol Bagh, held a "faculty-student interaction session" instead of regular classes.
Coaching classes at Vidyamandir institute will start on September 6
Saurabh Kumar, national director, Academics, Vidyamandir said, "Our centers were open today, but then it was mainly to help students with their academic-related queries and doubts. There were no physical classes per se." "However, we will be starting our Class XI and Class XII batches and have regular classes starting September 6," Kumar added.
Nearly 55% students have shown interest in physical classes: Kumar
"Nearly 55% of students have shown interest to be part of the physical classes, and the institute is fully prepared and following each and every COVID-19 safety protocol as per the instructions by the government," he noted.
Online coaching can never compensate for face-to-face teaching: Aakash Chaudhry
Aakash Chaudhry, whose AESL also saw a limited opening on Wednesday, said the full-fledged reopening of their centers will take place soon. "During the lockdown, we had started online mentoring for students. But online coaching can never compensate for face-to-face teaching. We would like to assure the parents that we've taken all precautionary measures to ensure that the students will be safe," he added.
AESL will facilitate contactless attendance across all its branches
AESL will also facilitate contactless attendance across all its branches, proper crowd management in parking lots, in corridors, and in lifts to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Similarly, according to Manoj K Jha, director, GS Score Institute, both the faculty and students are "excited" to join the center and resume the much-missed offline classes and the re-opening will happen in a phased manner.
Some students can't join classes due to economical reasons: Jha
Jha said, "The huge number of students registering for our mock test series tells us that students are more than willing to come back." "However, there are parents with apprehensions regarding how safe it is going to be or there are students who had earlier gone back to their respective homes after COVID-19 and now can't join us due to economical reasons," he added.
We are on path of reopening our institute fully: Jha
"But that said, we are on our path of reopening our institute fully, and are following all COVID-19 protocols, be it wearing of masks, sanitizing classrooms after regular intervals, or allowing only 50% occupancy," Jha said.
Some institutes will continue with online classes
Meanwhile, some institutes like the Maximus Academy in Naraina are in no hurry to open their coaching center. "I don't know when we will open and whether it will be anytime soon or not. We have decided to wait and watch, and continue with online classes only for the time being," said Neeraj Tanwar, owner of the Maximus Academy.
