The Delhi government opened the schools for the students of classes 9 and 11 in the national capital today (February 5). The schools for class 9 and class 11 are opening along with colleges and diploma institutes almost ten months after they got shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. All the educational institutions will be following COVID-19 related protocols.
It should be noted that the government had reopened schools for classes 10 and 12 earlier on January 18. Also, the students are going to be called to the schools only after the consent of their parents. Many other states have also opened schools and other educational institutions as things return to normal.
As the schools reopen for classes 9 and 11 today, the classrooms will be regularly sanitised keeping with the COVID-19 protocols. The physical distancing of around six feet between students is going to be followed and desks will be set in place for them accordingly.
Additionally, the schools will conduct classes in small groups following a tentative timeline for easy implementation. The guidelines suggest that parental consent is required for students to come for practical, mid-term exams, counselling, and guidance. As for those who could not come, the classes would be available for access online.
The government has instructed that the schools conduct the first and second periodic assessments for students of class 9 preferably in the last week of February and the third week of March. For the exams, the question papers will be set keeping into consideration the reduced syllabus. The syllabus is available on the website of the department of education. The mid-term exams can be conducted from March 20 to April 15.
The latest serological survey in Delhi suggested that around 56 per cent of the people under survey from the city had developed antibodies against COVID-19.
