School principals in the Delhi welcomed the government’s decision to reopen schools for classes 10 and 12 students, saying it will give them ample time and good atmosphere for preparing for board exams. “The decision to call students will help them to prepare for their upcoming board exams. Also, there are a number of steps that the school authorities will take to ensure that the students stay safe from the infection. The safest way for the students to commute to school would be via the private vehicles of their parents and guardians,” said Alka Kapur, Principal, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh.

“At a time, only a certain number of students would be present in the class which would allow the school authorities to easily maintain proper physical distancing among the students and further reduce the chances of infection getting spread,” she said.

The Delhi government has allowed all schools outside Covid-19 containment zones here to reopen for classes 10 and 12 from January 18 in view of board exams. However, it made clear that physical attendance is not compulsory and students will attend schools only with consent of parents.

Schools are reopening in the national capital after 10 months, after being shut last year to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, and they have been instructed by the Directorate of Education (DoE) to follow all COVID-19 guidelines when classroom studies resume on Monday.

According to Priyanka Barara, Principal, MRG School, Rohini, while the government has made optional for parents to send their wards to school, it is recommended that they come for better board exam preparations. “The decision to reopen the schools comes around just the right time, when vaccination drive has been started around India. These announcements reflect the forthcoming positive times. It is not a compulsion stated by the Delhi government, but as a principal my recommendation to parents would be to send their wards to school for better board preparations and also to break the mundane cycle of remote learning.”

“We will be ensuring complete safety protocols in our campus, and would maintain social distancing at all times, with mandatory temperature checks. This is a crucial time for students preparing for boards, so detailed and classroom learning would be a big support to their exam preparations,” Barara said.

Jyoti Arora, Principal, Mount Abu School said, “Reopening of schools for 10 and 12 was a much awaited notification. It will help students to solve doubts, refocus on weak areas, polish their strengths and warm up before board exams. Above all, the entire school fraternity is pleased to have our heartbeats back in school campuses.”

The Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools (ACUPS), an umbrella organisation of over 1,500 private schools in Delhi, welcomed the decision to resume classroom studies for Classes 10 and 12.

“We welcome the decision of the Delhi government to reopen schools for Classes 10 and 12 from January 18. This will help schools to bridge the learning gap and students to cope up with learning outcomes,” ACUPS general secretary Bharat Arora said.

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.

Over 3 lakh students have registered from the Delhi region for the Class 10 CBSE board exam while over 2.5 lakh candidates have registered for the Class 12 exam. The Delhi government has suggested that schools conducted pre-board exams for Class 12 from March 20 to April 15 and Class 10 pre-board exams from April 1 to 15.

Source: PTI

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