Delhi schools to reopen for all classes from November 1
All schools in national capital Delhi have been allowed to reopen for students of all classes from Monday. Classes will be held in a hybrid mode with both physical and online classes being held simultaneously. It will be a student's choice to attend either, and parents will not be forced to send their children to school. Here are more details.
Why does it matter?
Delhi is reopening schools for all classes after months, signifying the positive impact of the coronavirus vaccination program. Many students and parents have urged restarting of physical classes citing issues in online education methods. Now, no more than 50% of students will be allowed in physical classes at a time and schools will need to ensure 100% vaccination of staff.
Manish Sisodia announced the news
"All the schools and educational institutes shall be allowed to be opened, for all the classes, in Delhi from 1st Nov. However, schools shall also continue online classes for the students who are not willing to attend classes offline," Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority had held a meeting over the issue.
Schools in Delhi were shut in March 2020
Schools in Delhi were shut in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown over COVID-19. After partially reopening in February this year, schools were closed once again in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic. So far, students from only classes 9 to 12 were allowed to attend physical classes in schools.
How is the COVID-19 situation in Delhi?
The decision comes as Delhi has seen a significant improvement in its COVID-19 situation following a devastating outbreak earlier this year. In the past 24 hours, the city recorded 41 fresh coronavirus cases while there were no deaths due to the disease for the fourth straight day. The positivity rate in Delhi currently stands at 0.08%.