Schools out, masks off: Parents worry as kids ditch norms in national capital
NEW DELHI: While Delhi schools have started taking more precautions to ensure the safety of students appearing in the ongoing offline pre-boards and practical exams, many parents raised concerns about the physical distancing norm being violated outside several schools in the city amid the spike in Covid-19 cases.
Currently, students of classes 9 to 12, of the 2020-21 academic year, are allowed to visit schools for examinations and board exam preparations. While a majority of the private schools in Delhi have completed the class 9 and 11 exams, the only students going to school are those in classes 10 and 12, whose practical exams are underway.
In government schools, students of classes 9 to 12 are going to school for their practicals, pre-boards, and mid-term examinations.
Despite guidelines from the directorate of education (DoE) to ensure the entry and exit of students in a staggered manner, large groups of students can be seen outside many schools, violating distancing norms.
Outside the government girls’ school in east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave, many students were seen without masks and standing in groups on Wednesday afternoon. Similar scenes were seen outside several schools at ITO, Minto Road, Jasola, and Subhash Nagar, among other areas.
Anju Chaudhary, the mother of a Class 9 student at a government school in Subhash Nagar, said, “I went to pick my son from school on Wednesday after his mid-term exam and I saw students standing in large groups without maintaining any distance. We have heard that students of many schools have tested Covid-19 positive recently. The violation of norms makes me fearful about the safety of my son. The government should either postpone the exams or instruct schools to ensure the children’s safety. ”
Sushil Kumar, the father of a Class 12 student at a private school in Jasola, said, “My daughter is going to school for her practical exams these days and I have seen how students violate wearing mask and distancing norms outside school. It makes me doubt the precautions being taken inside the school. She has to appear for her board exams from May 4. What will happen if anything unfortunate happens?”
Aprajita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents’ Association, said the state should either postpone the exams or issue fresh guidelines to schools. “This fresh wave of Covid-19 is scary. Several cases have been reported among students and teachers in the past few days,” she said.
At least seven students tested positive for Covid-19 at Arya Kanya Gurukul in New Rajender Nagar on Monday. The principal and some staff members of DAV Sreshta Vihar had also tested positive last week. Besides, another private school in west Delhi on Monday cancelled a scheduled exam after a Class 12 student tested positive.
Several principals said it is a challenge for them to ensure distancing outside schools. The principal of a government school in Karawal Nagar said, “Most of our teachers are busy with invigilation work, while others are busy distributing books, ration and other Covid-19 related work. It’s not possible for schools to deploy staffers outside campus.”
A senior official at the Delhi government’s education department, said, “It’s not possible for the government to postpone practical exams of board classes at a time when the CBSE board exams are near. The government might consider the ongoing midterm exams for classes 9 and 11 as their final exams if the situation continues to remain the same.”