New Delhi Jan 26 PTI School principals and parents associations were left disappointed with DDMAs decision on Thursday to not reopen schools in Delhi saying keeping schools closed is no longer a solution All India Parents Association AIPA president Ashok Agarwal said it is a very sad move and decision makers have neither heart nor mind as the prolonge closures will promote and perpetuate class divide and inequality in education Studies and childhood of students have already suffered too much which is irreparable Closing down schools has no scientific basis It has reduced employment and led people to face hunger So many people are sitting idle at home and waiting for schools to reopen he added Sumedha Goel director The Shri Ram Wonder Years Rohini suggested that schools for junior classes should be reopened in a phased manner keeping the hybrid model at its core Keeping the schools closed is not a solution Like a seedling requires the right amount of water sunlight air to grow similarly a budding child requires social interaction food for the mind and soul emotional well-being etc to attain a holistic growth Covid-appropriate behaviour will be followed in schools to welcome back students and give them a congenial environment for growth and development We propose the government enforce a law for mandatory vaccination and impose a fine on the non-vaccinated adults The drive would be beneficial for children below 15 years Goel said adding the entire school staff should be fully vaccinated and every fortnight school spaces will be sanitiwed Schools and colleges will continue to remain closed in the national capital and the issue will be taken up in the next meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA officials said on Thursday During the meeting the Delhi government for its part recommended reopening of schools saying it was necessary to prevent further damage to the social and economic well-being of children as the COVID-19 situation in the capital has improved Anshu Mittal principal MRG School Rohini said pandemic years have undoubtedly showed people the need for modifying the curriculum and pedagogical methods Every other country has opened schools we educators are deeply concerned about the same for our learners as they are being deprived Now with vaccination kickstarting for the age group of 15-18 we foresee vaccination for kids also becoming a reality soon Preferably till that time a major chunk of adult population would have also received their booster shot We havent bent down in front of this pandemic and we still wont It is important for our leaders to utilise the full potential of this quality of resilience the nation has displayed during these two years It will indeed be an inspirational lesson to our coming future generations she said Though the schools were briefly reopened they were shut again on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant Todays decision is deeply disappointing The DDMA chairperson lieutenant governor and members should publicly disclose the reasons for keeping schools closed but allowing everything else particularly when every expert body has recommended it said Tanya Agarwal a lawyer who has been vocal about the reopening of schools According to a survey conducted by online platform Local Circles 74 per cent Delhi parents do not support re-opening of schools at this time while 66 per cent parents believe schools sould be reopened once test positivity rate TPR falls to 2 per cent or lower Alka Kapur principal Modern Public School said Eighty five percent of the students are vaccinated and the drive to vaccinate children of other age groups is scheduled to start in April With adequate precautions I dont think there should be a problem if we go ahead and open the schools nowThere is a huge disparity between classroom learning and online classes Education is not just about gathering information but also about interactivity social interactions and hands-on learning something only a classroom setup can provide Besides this prolonged use of online education might have a detrimental impact on students in the long-run because of lack of social and student-teacher interaction it can cause behavioural changes and learning anxiety she added Asserting that online education can never replace classroom studies Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children but excessive caution was harming them A delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya an epidemiologist and public policy specialist had earlier met Sisodia and submitted a memorandum signed by over 1600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened PTI GJS GJS AAR AAR

New Delhi Jan 27 PTI The union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools for physical classes following all COVID-19 related protocols sources said on Thursday Schools have been closed in most parts of the country for physical classes after the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the virus Students have been mostly attending online classes barring some brief periods in between for almost two years now due to the coronavirus pandemic As parents have been demanding for the opening of schools the union government is working on a model for staggered opening of schools following all Covid related protocols a highly-placed source said A delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya an epidemiologist and public policy specialist and Centre for Policy Research president Yamini Aiyar had met Delhis Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday to submit a memorandum signed by over 1600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened Similar demands have been made in some other states as well though another section of parents has been favouring the continuation of online classes The Delhi government had recommended reopening of schools in the national capital but a decision on this was postponed till the next meeting by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday It has become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children Sisodia had said on Wednesday Asserting that online education can never replace offline education Sisodia had said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children but excessive caution is now harming students 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 PTI JTR BJ BJ

New Delhi Jan 26 PTI The Delhi government will recommend the reopening of schools in the national capital in a DDMA meeting on January 27 as it has now become necessary to prevent further damage to the social and emotional well-being of children Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday Asserting that 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 The Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA has called the meeting on Thursday to deliberate on easing the curbs in the national capital in view of the improved situation of COVID-19 The issue of reopening schools is also on the agenda In the past two years school childrens 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 The pandemic-induced school closures have not only affected their studies but also their mental health During COVID our priority was childrens 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 Sisodia who holds the education portfolio said that 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 saidWhile the Covid cases and positivity rate are on the decline in Delhi it would not be suitable to keep children away from schools With children returning to schools not only will the schools witness a buzz but it will also indicate lives coming back on track he said Earlier today a delegation of parents lead by Chandrakant Lahariya an epidemiologist and public policy specialist and Centre for Policy Research president Yamini Aiyar met Sisodia and submitted a memorandum signed by over 1600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened Why we are the last among major countries to decide on this I agree with their demands A generation of children will be left behind if we do not open our schools now added Sisodia Lahariya pointed out that according to AIIMS ICMR Indian Academy of Paediatrics NITI Aayog WHO and several other organisations the risk associated with Covid is very less among children School closures have a few advantages but its negative impact on childrens learning and mental-emotional well-being was very high Hence reopening of schools is a crying need of the hour he saidAfter 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 Aiyar said that a huge learning gap was being seen among kids because of them staying away from schools for long Due to the pandemic it has only widened over the past two years and keeping kids further away from schools will mean that an entire generation will move ahead with the learning gap She further said that several researchers have found that children are even forgetting the basic mathematics and fundamental language skills To bridge the learning gap it is important for schools to reopen Schools focus on overall development of children which is not possible at home and via online education she said PTI GJS ZMN

New Delhi Jan 26 PTI 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 Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday Asserting that 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 The Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA has called a meeting on Thursday to deliberate on easing the curbs in the national capital in view of the improved situation of COVID-19 The issue of reopening schools is also on the agenda In the past two years school childrens 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 The pandemic-induced school closures have not only affected their studies but also their mental health During COVID our priority was childrens 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 Sisodia who holds the education portfolio said that 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 saidWhile the COVID cases and positivity rate are on the decline in Delhi it would not be suitable to keep children away from schools With children returning to schools not only will the schools witness a buzz but it will also indicate lives coming back on track he said Earlier today a delegation of parents lead by Chandrakant Lahariya an epidemiologist and public policy specialist met Sisodia and submitted a memorandum signed by over 1600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened Why we are the last among major countries to decide on this I agree with their demands A generation of children will be left behind if we do not open our schools now added Sisodia Lahariya pointed out that according to AIIMS ICMR Indian Academy of Paediatrics NITI Aayog WHO and several other organisations the risk associated with COVID is very less among children School closures have a few advantages but its negative impact on childrens learning and mental-emotional well-being was very high Hence reopening of schools is a crying need of the hour he saidAfter 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 PTI GJS GJS RT RT

New Delhi Jan 26 PTI Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday advocated reopening of schools saying a generation of children will be left behind if we do not open schools now Sisodias comments came following a meeting with delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya an epidemiologist and public policy specialist The Delhi Disaster management Authority DDMA has called a meeting tomorrow to deliberate on easing curbs in the national capital in view of the improved situation of COVID-19 The issue of reopening schools is also on the agenda A delegation of parents of Delhis children led by DrLahariya AiyarYamini submitted a memorandum to me signed by more than 1600 parents for reopening of schools Why we are the last among major countries to decide on this Sisodia tweeted I agree with their demands We closed school when it was not safe for children but excessive caution is now harming our children A generation of children will be left behind if we do not open our schools now added Sisodia who is also Delhis Education Minister 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 PTI GJS GJS RCJ RCJ RCJ

New Delhi Sep 17 PTI The festive season and whether or not people adhere to COVID-19-appropriate behaviour during this period will be key deciding factors behind a third wave of the pandemic experts said on Friday and warned people against lowering their guard Also the emergence of a new variant may become the driving force for a third wave as it would have more chances of transmitting rapidly in super-spreader events like festive gatherings and celebrations they said In the context of rapid immunisation and non-emergence of any new variant of SARC-CoV-2 in recent months the biggest risk factor for a third wave would be people lowering their guards during the festive season said Dr N KArora chairman of the COVID-19working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation NTAGI Social and religious gatherings may facilitate rapid spread of delta virus among those who are still susceptible to infection Therefore it is strongly advisable that people religiously follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and the administration takes strict measures to discourage social gatherings Arora said Currently there is a declining trend of COVID-19 cases and we are in a pretty good situation However the coming few weeks with the festive season ongoing and with that associated changes of decrease in Covid-appropriate behaviour large gatherings and super-spreading events can be a deciding factor for the third wave AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said He said the next two-three months are crucial in terms of preventive strategies for the country to continue to be in a good position Medical epidemiologist and public health expert Chandrakant Lahariya said even though daily new COVID-19 cases are low and stabilised across the majority of Indian states gatherings -- no matter large or small -- across the world have resulted in spike in cases Therefore the next three months -- the festive season in India -- is very crucial If people especially those who are not fully vaccinated avoid any gathering or get-together we have a chance to delay the next wave he said What would happen starting next year when a majority of the adult Indian population is vaccinated is lot much dependent upon evolving scientific understanding about how long immunity last emergence of a new variant of concern and a few other unknowns However by then we would be in the New Year And my early New Year 2022 wish is that the Indian policy makers use more of science to plan and implement pandemic response strategy he said India may see a third wave of COVID-19 peaking between October and November if a more virulent mutant than the existing ones emerge by September but its intensity is expected to be much lower than the second wave a scientist involved in the mathematical modelling of the pandemic had said in August Manindra Agrawal an IIT-Kanpur scientist who is part of the three-member team of experts that has been tasked with predicting any surge in infections said if no new virulent emerges then the situation is unlikely to change If the third wave peaks the country may see only 1 lakh daily cases as against more than 4 lakh when the deadly second wave was at its peak in May The second wave killed thousands and infected several lakh Dr V K Paul NITI Aayog Member Health said at a press briefing on Thursday that overall there is stabilisation in COVID-19 cases and Kerala has also reported a drop in cases Mizoram is a state of concern but we hope conditions will improve there by fast vaccination and pandemic response and containment In the coming two-three months we need to be cautious that there is no upsurge It is also the period of festivities and also when flu cases risewe request everyone to be careful and retain the gain that we have achieved in the pandemic management he said He also requested every state district municipality to prepare to tackle the surge by giving home care and make preparation in hospitals and human resources and oxygen requirements PTI PLB SMN SMN