Delhi schools prepare to open doors to classes of 10, 12 students.

The Delhi government has allowed all schools outside COVID-19 containment zones to reopen for Classes 10 and 12 from tomorrow. The decision was taken in view of upcoming board exams, which are going to be conducted in the month of May this year. The schools have already made it clear that physical attendance is not compulsory and students will attend schools only with the consent of parents.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has instructed schools to follow all COVID-19 guidelines when classroom studies resume. A representative at Greenwood Public School said We are calling students in slots – half of the students in a class will be in the classroom while another half will be in the laboratory to conduct practical lessons. We have sent out consent forms to all parents and the number of students willing to come to school is high.”

The school is going to be opened for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of educational institutes in March last year. Staggered and shorter class hours, frequent sanitization, and entry and exit through multiple gates are among various new ways adopted by schools in Delhi in order to open the school from tomorrow.

Including this, schools have allowed only 15 students at a time in a classroom, placing handwashing consoles and sanitizer dispensers in corridors, deploying volunteers to ensure social distancing and conduct temperature checks, and keeping medical facilities on standby for any eventuality is among various other initiatives planned by schools.

Ashok Pandey, Director of ALCON International School, said not more than 10 students will be allowed in laboratories at a time. The Union education ministry has already announced that board exams for Classes 10 and 12 will be conducted from May 4 to June 10, even though the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is yet to release an examination date-sheet.

Alka Kapur, Principal of Modern School in Shalimar Bagh, the safest way for students to commute to school would be in private vehicles of their parents and guardians. “There are a number of steps that the school authorities will take to ensure that the students stay safe from the infection,” she said.

The Delhi government has suggested that schools conducted pre-board exams for class 12 from March 20 to April 15 and for class 10 from April 1 to April 15.