Delhi schools to remain open; Parents divided over hybrid learning as Covid-19 cases rise

New Delhi: Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, parents are divided over whether schools should go into hybrid mode of learning again or continue with offline classes. While a section of parents, citing experts' views, says online classes will result in further learning loss for their wards, others are of the opinion that the schools should opt for hybrid mode (online and offline sessions) and leave the decision to parents.

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"There cannot be a single decision which will suit everybody's needs and put the concerns to rest. So why not leave it to parents? Those who want to send will send their kids to school, others will not," said Kuldeep Kumar, parent of a seven-year-old child. Akhilesh Garg, however, had a different opinion on the hybrid mode.

"The option of letting parents take a call is a good one, but it triggers problems for those who want to send their wards for offline classes. If many students opt for online classes, the school will stop transportation service and many others will be forced to opt for online classes because they cannot manage to pick and drop their children themselves," he said.

Schools in Delhi will continue in offline mode, but they will have to ensure that Covid protocols are strictly followed failing which a penalty may be imposed for creating a deterrent effect, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided on Wednesday.

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The DDMA also decided that separate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be developed for schools in consultation with the experts. Reports of infections from schools have triggered concerns weeks after they opened for offline classes following a two-year gap due to the pandemic. Experts have been warning against closure of schools yet again, citing learning losses. Aparajita Gautam, President of Delhi Parents Association, said parents are concerned about the rising cases.

"Many schools are not maintaining transparency if any child or a staffer is getting infected, thus putting others at risk. Hence, going online for classes is a better option to assuage fears of parents," she said. Tanya Agarwal, another parent, said the government should also come up with SOPs for places other than schools.

"Thanks @msisodia @LtGovDelhi for keeping schools open. Also looking forward to SOPs for govt & private offices, cinemas, restaurants, malls, markets, etc where adults work all day and then go home to their families which include kids. SARS-CoV-2 doesn't live only in schools," tweeted Agarwal, a lawyer by profession.

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As the Covid cases are rising, schools across Delhi-NCR are taking various measures, including frequent sanitisation, to contain the spread of the virus and thus avoid shutdown of the campus. The Delhi government had last week issued guidelines for schools asking them to close specific wings or classrooms wherever any student or teacher is found infected.

The Haryana education department has directed schools in the state not to make it mandatory for students to attend in-person classes after many students and staff in various schools across NCR cities tested positive for COVID-19. Delhi recorded a nearly 26 per cent jump in fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, but the positivity rate dropped to 4.42 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department on Tuesday. No death was reported in the city due to the viral disease in this time period, it said.