Schools in Delhi to remain shut till July 31; 50% syllabus cut proposed

Schools in Delhi will continue to remain closed till July 31 in view of the COVID-19 situation, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on Friday (June 26).

“Reopening schools is not merely a technical work, rather, it is a creative work that would give schools a new and bigger role. Schools will continue to be closed in Delhi till July 31,” Sisodia said.

Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, made the announcement after a meeting with officials of the Directorate of Education (DoE) on how to reopen schools.

The Delhi government has also invited parents of children to give suggestions on how to go about reopening of schools in a phased and safe manner.

Another crucial proposal discussed in Friday’s meeting was to cut the syllabus up to 50 per cent, according to the statement issued by the Delhi government.

The officials also said only online classes and activities with the help of parents should continue while they consider this proposal further. “Let’s design a plan to reopen schools in a way that would prepare our students to adjust to the new circumstances and not fear them. It would help our students to learn to live with coronavirus,” Sisodia said.

For Class 9 and 10, the officials asked Sisodia to allow classes in small groups once or twice a week. Others, however, recommended that Class 10 students should attend classes everyday.

The officials also agreed in the meeting that schools should establish online libraries wherever possible.

Delhi currently has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in India, after Mumbai.

Maharashtra has reported a tally of 1,47,741 confirmed cases of the virus, while Delhi has recorded 73,780 positive cases.

Of the total 15,301 deaths reported so far in the country, Maharashtra tops the tally with 6,931 deaths, followed by Delhi with 2,429 deaths.