COVID-19: All You Need To Know About Delhi Government’s Back-To-School Guidelines

New Delhi: As the national capital observes a decline in the COVID-19 infections, the Delhi government is planning to reopen the schools for the 10 to 12 classes. The Education Department of Delhi has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the partial reopening of schools in the state for these students.

Schools in Delhi will partially resume classes and students are permitted to visit their schools for admission-related work including counseling, guidance and practical activities related to board exams, according to an order by Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

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The Directorate of Education has also issued guidelines to ensure that COVID appropriate protocols are followed and children’s safety is ensured while they are at their school campus.

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As per the SOP, written consent is to be obtained from the parents of all students who are willing to visit the school, all the classrooms, laboratories, libraries, toilets, drinking water, among other such places where physical movements of students and teachers is regular, should be thoroughly sanitised by the school authorities.

Proper thermal screening should be done on the school gate to make sure that if any student or teacher or other school staff shows symptoms of cough, cold, or fever, they will not be allowed to enter the school, the SOP also states.

Furthermore, the Head of the school or department has to esure that the guidelines related to social distancing and COVID protocols are being followed, the directive added.

Online Classes or Digital Distance Learning will continue and those students who wish to continue their studies through Online Classes will be allowed to do so.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on July 28 had asked for feedback from parents, students, teachers, and principals for a decision on reopening educational institutions in the national capital. In this discussion, the Delhi government received about 33,000 emails where majority of both students and parents suggested that school should be reopened.

After receiving this feedback, DDMA decided to set up a committee of experts, with officials of education and health departments as members, to evaluate and finalise a detailed plan on the reopening of schools and other educational institutions. Niti Aayog member-health and a member of the above-mentioned committee, Dr V K Paul tweeted,

Society is concerned about the learning loss but as you would appreciate it is tightrope walking. It is not an easy decision because on one hand there is a risk of exposure to teachers, staff and to children and this has to be weighed against how to carry out learning activities.

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Dr Vijay Raman, a Paediatrician from Delhi’s Spring Meadows Hospital tells NDTV that the decision to reopen the schools has directly come from the students and the parents, and health members have framed the guidelines accordingly.

It is not easy to set such guidelines as these can directly impact children. It is true that the pandemic has had adverse effects on education however, the closing of schools was something inevitable to keep children and teachers as well as their families safe. I’m especially glad that the option of online learning is still available, as those who are or have immune suppressed family members can stick to staying at home. Meanwhile, those who don’t have the resources for online learning or are facing difficulties in the same can go and attend physical schools with COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and protocols in place, Dr Raman said.

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.