Physical classes for students of standard 6 and above in Delhi will resume on Saturday after remaining shut for nearly a month.
This comes as the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi showed slight improvement, jumping down to the ‘very poor’ category at 319 (overall), from ‘severe’.
Taking this into consideration, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday allowed the state governments of NCR and GNCTD to re-open schools, colleges and educational institutions in a phased manner.
The commission also directed the government to take the decision for reopening schools for students up to standard 5 from 27 December, after duly considering the AQI and the winter vacation schedule.
Following this, the Delhi government said: “All the Government, Government aided, unaided recognized, NDMC, MCDs and Delhi Cantonment Board Schools will reopen from December 18 for classes 6 onwards.”
The move was welcomed by schools in the national capital, who stated that students have been deprived of interpersonal interactions for a long time.
“We welcome the government’s announcement of school reopening. Students were deprived of interpersonal interactions. With physical classes in place, other activities like sports events and co-curricular activities which were being remotely planned will now happen in their original format. We look forward to having our students back,” Anshu Mittal, the principal of MRG School in Rohini, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
She said that with offices also reopening, parents will be assured that their children are engaged in school.
Earlier this week, DCPCR chairman Anurag Kundu had written to CAQM urging them to pave the way for the reopening of schools since their continued closure was “jarring the social and emotional growth of children” and causing significant learning loss.
When were schools closed?
On 16 November, the CAQM had directed that “all public and private schools colleges and educational institutions shall remain closed until further orders allowing only online mode of education”.
The commission, on 25 November, had decided that “the NCR States and GNCT of Delhi may take appropriate decisions for resumption of physical classes in schools, colleges and educational institutions in the NCR. However, wherever the state governments/GNCTD opt to continue with online mode of education, such schools/colleges/educational institutions shall be permitted to open for the purpose of the conduct of examination and practical etc.”
On 2 December, it directed that “All schools, colleges and educational institutions in the NCR shall remain closed, allowing only online mode of education, except for the purpose of the conduct of examinations and laboratory practical etc.”
The CAQM had earlier informed the Supreme Court that a decision on re-opening of schools, colleges and educational institutions, will be taken by 17 December.
With inputs from agencies.
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( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a www.livemint.com feed.)
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