Frontlist | Delhi schools to re-open for classes 10, 12 from Monday, AAP govt issues guidelines

on Jan 13, 2021

The schools will re-open in order to 'conduct activities pertaining to pre-board preparation and practical work,' Delhi govt said

It also added attendance for students will be optional as sending the child to school is completely optional for parents

Delhi government on Wednesday allowed schools to re-open in the national capital from 18 January after a gap of more than 10 months due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country, officials said.

The schools will re-open for class 10 and 12 in order to conduct activities pertaining to pre-board preparation and practical work, Delhi government said. In a circular issued on Wednesday, the Directorate of Education (DoE) said, “In order to conduct the activities pertaining to pre-board preparations and practical work, the head of government, aided and unaided recognised schools may call the students of classes 10 and 12 only to school with effect from January 18, 2021. According to the circular, the pre-board exams of Class 12 will be conducted between March 3 and April 15 and for Class 10, they will be held between April 1 and April 15. To be sure, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has already announced the timeline of practical and written examinations. The practical examinations will begin from March 1 and the written exams will be conducted between May 3 and June 10. The government also added that while the records of children coming to school be maintained, the same should not be used for attendance purpose as sending the child to school is completely optional for parents. According to the circular, only schools outside containment zones will be allowed to reopen and students, teachers, and staff living in these zones will not be allowed to attend. The schools have been asked not to hold any assembly and physical outdoor activities, the statement added. The principals have been asked to guide children not to share books, copies and stationery items. Here is a lowdown on the guidelines issued by DoE for attending schools: The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preparation of Schools for Practicals, Projects and Pre-Board/Board Examinations for classes 10th and 12th include the following: Health & Safety Guidelines i. No symptomatic child/staff to be allowed in school campus. ii. Mandatory Thermal Screening at School Entry Gate. iii. Compulsory hand sanitization at entrance of school, Class Room, Labs and Public Utility etc. School Readiness i. HOS to ensure thorough sanitization of the school premises and ensure availability of key supplies like thermal screeners, disinfectant, soap, mask, etc. Preparation and Guidelines for Practicals, Projects, Pre Board/Board Exams etc. i. Schools outside the containment zone only are allowed above listed activities. Further, students, teachers and employees living in the containment zone will not be allowed to come to school. ii. Head of school to plan specific Time Table for above listed academic activities as per capacity/ occupancy limit of the classroom/Labs (not more than 12-15 students) following COVID appropriate behavior. Time table be duly approved by DDE Zone. iii. Head of school to ensure the bubbling effect i.e. only the same group common members are repeated. iv. Staff may be called to school as per the requirement of the time table and following the guidelines of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). v. School timings are to be staggered (with a gap of at least 15 minutes) to avoid crowding at the school's main entrance/exit gate. Head of school to make a plan and get the same approved by DDE (Zone). Head of school is also advised to use both the gates to avoid the crowding at the entry and exit. vi. There should be a gap of at least 01 hour between last group exit of last group of Morning shift and entry of first group of Evening shift in double shifted schools. Parental Consent i. Head of school to ensure that students come to school with written consent of their parent. If a student or staff member displays any of the above symptoms whilst at the school,they should be encouraged to move away from other people and into an outdoor / well ventilated space/ quarantine room. Quarantine Room i. Head of school to ensure availability of a Quarantine Room in the school in case of emergency. Face Mask Guidelines i. All members of school must wear a mask in the proper way while in the school premises. ii. Provision of availability of spare masks for emergency. Physical Distancing Guidelines i. It is advised that everyone does their best to maintain a safe physical distance of 6 feet or more in all settings. ii. School authorities have to maintain physical distancing at all times by ensuring that students do not assemble or gather near entry/exit gates or even during the breaks.

Campus Guest Policy i. Routine guest visits should be discouraged. However, during emergency, parent's visit with proper Covid Appropriate Behavior (CAB) protocol may be permitted. Community / Common Space Policy i. Congregating in common areas of school campus must be prohibited. Awareness Drive i. Posters / standees on preventive measures about Covidl9 to be displayed prominently ii. Earmarking different lanes for coming and going. iii. Displaying posters/ messages at all prominent places like classrooms, washrooms, parking, entry and exit etc. to ensure Covid Appropriate Behavior (CAB) like physical distancing and mask guidelines etc. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions across India were closed since March last year in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 386 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and the positivity rate remained much below one per cent, authorities said. Source: Live Mint