Schools in Delhi to re-open in phased manner from September 1 onwards

New Delhi, Aug 26: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority in its meeting on Friday decided to reopen schools in a phased manner. Classes for std 9th to 12th will begin from September 1st. Classes for std 6th to 8th will begin from September 8th.

The authority's meeting, was attended by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to discuss the report of a committee that has recommended opening of schools in a phased manner.

The panel''s suggestion on reopening schools came in the wake of a marked improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Delhi, following a recent brutal second wave of the infection, which claimed many lives, with the shortage of oxygen at hospitals across the city adding to the woes.

No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on Thursday, while 45 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

This is the sixteenth time, since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital, that zero fatality has been logged in a day.

Kejriwal on Wednesday had told reporters that the Delhi government wanted schools to be reopened as soon as possible but is evaluating all factors to ensure the safety of students.

"There has been a mixed experience of states which have reopened schools. We have been monitoring the situation," he had said.

"We want the schools to be reopened as soon as possible but don''t want to take any risk with the safety of students. We will take a decision soon," the chief minister had said.

The expert committee set up by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its report, submitted 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, the sources said.

Noting that there is no harm now in reopening schools in the national capital, Lieutenant Governor Baijal had on August 6 had asked officials to set up an expert committee to chalk out a detailed plan.

The committee was set up after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told the DDMA in a meeting chaired by Baijal that at least 90 per cent of the parents, who attended the mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) at government schools, held between July 19 and 31, had voted in favour of reopening the schools.

Schools in the national capital were ordered shut last year in March ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Delhi government recently announced partial reopening of schools and allowed class X and XII students to visit schools for admission-related work, practical activities and counselling sessions.