Schools start sanitisation as they prepare for Jul opening

NEW DELHI: With the Delhi government waiting for approval from the Centre to reopen schools in the Capital, a week ago the Education department started distributing textbooks for the upcoming session. Parents of students from Nursery to Class 8 have been summoned in government schools on specific days in small groups to collect books and continue the learning process, said an official on account of anonymity.

“We are yet to decide on distribution of money for textbooks for students of Class 8 onwards. Meanwhile we have begun sanitisation of school premises as they were being used for other purposes. If we get a nod from the Centre we will start the session by July 15,” added the official.

The Delhi government has asked principals of all staterun schools to prepare “micro plans” on how to bring students back to classes, while at the same time keeping them safe from the Coronavirus disease. The stakeholders along with Head of Schools, teachers, and School Management Committee (SMC) members have been asked to give suggestions on how to continue the learning process with minimal cost.

The Delhi government and the NCERT have also been preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) for the reopening of schools. Classes were suspended in Delhi on March 19 in light of the Covid19 pandemic. The Delhi government later announced that the summer vacations would be from May 11 to June 30. However, online classes are still on in both government and private schools. Delhi has 1,030 government-run schools, 215 government-aided schools and 1,352 private schools.