The government of Delhi recently announced that the educational institutes in the national capital, including the schools and colleges, will be reopening from September 1. This decision was taken by the government after a list of recommendations made by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
The Delhi government approved the reopening of schools in the national capital on Friday, August 27, after a meeting was conducted, chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. After the meeting, the DDMA has issued a list of standard operating procedures for the reopening of schools and colleges in Delhi.
The decision to reopen the schools in Delhi was made after the number of COVID-19 cases in the capital dropped significantly. During the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, Delhi became one of the worst-hit areas with respect to the number of COVID cases.
SOPs for schools and colleges reopening in Delhi
- The schools in Delhi are only reopening for physical classes for students of Classes 9 to 12. No dates for the resumption of classes for other students have been issued before.
- The school and college authorities will have to set up an emergency quarantine room on the premises for the safety of the students.
- All educational institutes will have to make sure that there are no routine guest visits on the premises for the time being.
- The lunch breaks in schools will have to be staggered to make sure that students don’t crowd in a single area. Schools have also been instructed to make sure lunch breaks are taken in open areas.
- Students and teachers living in containment zones will not be allowed to attending physical classes till the COVID situation in their area improves.
- For the time being, the classrooms will only be opened for physical lessons at 50 percent capacity to maintain proper social distancing.
- All schools and colleges will be asked to maintain their timetables and schedules according to the occupancy limit in their classrooms.
- Schools and colleges should make sure that all the students are wearing masks and following the COVID safety guidelines issued by the government.
- The institute administration should make sure that there are adequate medical facilities present on the premises in case any student shows symptoms of coronavirus.
Students are welcoming the decision of the Delhi government to reopen the schools in the national capital as they have been attending online classes for over a year now. Students have not been satisfied with the conduction of online classes are they are not accessible for many students.
