The updated Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) guidelines might have done away with the 50 per cent cap for classroom learning but reopening directives continue to ask them to be cautious in the wake of Covid-19.
Education institutions in the city are allowed to reopen for students of classes 9 and above from Monday and for nursery to class 8 from February 14, emphasizing that the ‘hybrid mode’ of teaching-learning is to continue in schools. Hybrid mode essentially means that students will have the option not to attend offline classes and schools will have to arrange online classes for them.
Following the DDMA’s decision, the education department has issued an order to this effect stating: “The heads of schools shall call the students in such numbers and manner, taking into account the available space/infrastructure/facilities of their schools, so as to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour (viz. wearing of mask, maintaining social distancing, regular hand washing and use of sanitizer etc.) is complied with at all times in schools. The blended/hybrid mode of teaching-learning process (online & offline) should be followed till further orders. Accordingly, heads of all schools will have to reframe the time table and inform the parents & students accordingly.”
While the DDMA guidelines no longer specify a 50 per cent cap, the standard operating procedure (SOP) for school, coaching centre, and college reopening attached to the order and the DDMA guidelines “advise” that approximately 50 per cent students be called per classroom “depending upon the capacity/occupancy limit for seating of the students to maintain proper social distance” and that their schedule “may be staggered to avoid crowding”.
For schools that were looking to conduct classes completely offline, these conditions make it not possible, at least for the time being.
“I’m very disappointed with the conditional school opening. With parent consent and social distancing in place and the option for a hybrid model of teaching-learning we will never be able to bridge the gap in learning loss . In a situation when the positivity rate has gone down below 3 per cent there is no justification for conditional opening. Again schools will find it difficult to provide transport facility if only a few children avail it on a staggered basis,” said Sudha Acharya, principal ITL Public School.