Children Less Prone to COVID, So Why Is Delhi Wavering on Reopening of Schools?

Schools in the national capital continue to remain closed, even as the rest of the city begins to open up.

Schools in the capital continue to be shut, even as the rest of the city begins to open up. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Schools in the national capital continue to remain closed, even as the rest of the country begins to open up, in the wake of a drop in the daily COVID cases.

On Thursday, 27 January, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), headed by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, said the decision of reopening schools will be taken up in its next meeting.

This came a day after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who's also the state's Education Minister, advocated for reopening of schools. In a tweet on 16 January, the minister said a delegation, led by epidemiologist and public policy expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya and CEO-President of Indian think tank Centre for Policy Research, Yamini Aiyar, met him. They submitted a memorandum, with signatures of over 1,600 parents, for reopening of schools.

A Case for Reopening Schools

Talking to The Quint, Dr Lahariya cited a number of reasons for reopening schools.

“During the first wave, we did not have much of an understanding of the virus. Now, we know that children are at a lower risk of hospitalisation. Data has shown us that children will not be impacted disproportionately.”

Dr Chandrakant Lahariya

Dr Lahariya said that while there is a risk factor involved, "the benefit of reopening schools is far greater than keeping them shut". Further, he added that other family members are exposed as they are going out of the house, and hence, there is no point in keeping only schools shut.

Schools in Delhi had opened for all classes in November, for the first time since March 2020, only to be shut two weeks later – but this time due to air pollution. Physical classes resumed for Class 6 onwards on 18 December. But yet again, on 28 December, when Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a 'yellow' alert in the city due to high COVID-19 positivity rate, schools and educational institutes had to be shut.

Dr Lahariya further explained the high positivity rate in Delhi despite the plummeting COVID cases. With mostly symptomatic people getting tested, the positivity rate is expected to remain slightly higher even as the third wave subsides.

Over the last few weeks, parents from all over the city and across income groups had signed a memorandum that made a case for reopening schools. Yamini Aiyar told The Quint they met with the minister as representatives of parents.

“Our primary case was that Delhi has gone nearly two years with school closure. This is the longest school closure… Uganda had the longest school closure but they opened on 10 January,” she said.

"We should ensure that it is a last resort, not a first resort. There is little scientific evidence that school closures benefit, and enough evidence to show that reopening schools is necessary."

Yamini Aiyar, President of Centre for Policy Research and a parent

‘Social, Emotional and Learning Loss’

Tanya Aggarwal, lawyer and parent who was part of the delegation, said that their memorandum touched upon how children are facing "social and emotional loss" in addition to a learning loss.

She said that children need to be in the midst of others and that the social element of school is very important – something that her six-year-old son has been missing.

"He has spent ages 4 to 6 in front of his screen. It is difficult for such a small child to understand how to read and write without going to school… Schools exist for a reason. If I have to recreate it (school environment), that is a full-time job in itself,” she told The Quint.

She further explained that not all parents have the ability to supplement online learning with other tools, such as tuition classes, and many do not have the devices needed for online classes in the first place.

‘Education Should Be a Priority’

When the delegation met with Sisodia, he responded positively and publicly stated that he is in favour of reopening schools. However, it did not have the desired result.

“He publicly stated that he agreed with us on the fact that we are losing an entire generation. But at the same time, I understand the complexities of the government's decision-making process,” Aiyar said.

"Some of our decision makers clearly thought that a marriage with an audience of 200 people is more important than reopening schools."

Yamini Aiyar

A source, present at the delegation, said, “The minister seemed supportive at the time. Now the issue is, which experts do they consult in these meetings? Who is the blocking force? We do not know and can only assume...”