Delhi schools to reopen in phased manner from September 1

Schools, colleges and coaching institutes in the national capital will reopen in a phased manner from September 1, 2021.

Sessions for Class 9-12, colleges and coaching institutions will start next Wednesday while that of Class 6-8 will start from September 8.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority chaired by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday afternoon.

Delhi government had recently allowed Class X and XII students to visit schools for admission-related work, practical activities and counselling sessions.

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The phased re-opening of schools comes against the backdrop of an improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the national capital.

Schools have remained closed in the national capital since March 2020.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, said that the activities in education institutions will resume with all precautions, in a phased manner.

Sisodia said social distancing should be strictly followed and no student will be forced to come to the school.

"Consent of parents will be essential for students to come. If parents do not permit, then students will not be forced to come and they will not be considered absent either," he said.

Sisodia said there was consensus in the DDMA meeting that education activities should also resume like the way economic activities are allowed.

He said online education cannot be an alternative to offline education.

In a survey conducted by the Delhi government, Sisodia said 70 per cent of people wanted schools to reopen.

The Deputy Chief Minister also said 98 per cent of teachers and staff in government schools have got their first dose of vaccine.

Private schools have also said a large number of staff members are already vaccinated, he said.

An expert committee set up by the DDMA had on Wednesday recommended that schools be reopened for all classes but senior-wing students be called in the first phase followed by middle-class students and ultimately the primary classes, PTI had reported.