Will Schools in Delhi Reopen as COVID Cases Decline? Sisodia to Discuss Matter With DDMA Today

Delhi School Reopening News: Manish Sisodia said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but excessive caution is now harming students.

Delhi School Reopening News: As the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has called a meeting on Thursday to deliberate on easing the curbs in the national capital, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday said the matter of reopening of schools will be discussed with the DDMA.

Giving details, Sisodia said the Delhi government will recommend the reopening of schools in the national capital in the DDMA meeting as it has now become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children.

Saying that the online education can never replace offline education, Sisodia said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but excessive caution is now harming students.

Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia: A delegation of parents of Delhi's children submitted a memorandum to me signed by more than 1600 parents for reopening of schools. I agree with their demands. A generation of children will be left behind if we do not open our schools now. pic.twitter.com/D9oRZdMVGK

— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2022

“In the past two years, school children’s lives have been confined to their rooms. Instead of going to schools and spending time in playgrounds, all their activities now take place only on mobile phones,” Sisodia said.

He further added that the pandemic-induced school closures have not only affected their studies but also their mental health. “During COVID, our priority was children’s safety. But since various researches have now found that COVID is not so harmful for kids, it is important to reopen the schools, as now is the time for exams and related preparations,” Sisodia said.

He also added that the schools are being reopened in several countries and even many Indian states.

“On this basis, the Delhi Government will recommend reopening of schools in the DDMA meeting scheduled on January 27,” he said.

After being briefly reopened, schools in Delhi were again closed on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant.

Corona cases: The number of active Covid-19 cases in Delhi has reduced in just 12 days after rising to a high of 94,160 on January 13, while it took 21 days for the active caseload to drop by half during the second wave last year. The number of daily cases in Delhi has been declining after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. The capital had logged 5,760 new cases on Monday and 6,028 cases on Tuesday.