The Delhi government is considering scrapping nursery admissions for the 2021-22 academic session, reported The Indian Express, quoting sources. According to the report, schools are unlikely to reopen before July 2021.
The report further states that the option to scrap admissions has been discussed by senior government officials and will be first proposed to private schools. Students will be admitted in two batches in 2022-23: nursery and kindergarten.
Hit by the third wave of coronavirus, schools in Delhi, which have been shut since the lockdown in March, will stay closed till further orders. On 28 October, the announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who’s also the state’s Education Minister.
“Even if we start vaccinating people by February, we will be able to vaccinate a sizeable chunk only by July. There is no possibility of reopening schools before that. We also have to look at how examinations will be conducted without putting teachers and students at risk,” reported The Indian Express, quoting Sisodia.
“Schools can admit students in both nursery and kindergarten for the 2022-23 academic session, as there will be vacancies in both grades. Considering the unpredictable nature of the Covid virus, the youngest children will be the last to go to school in any case. In such a situation, to have another set of young children whose entire academic year will be online is a little unfair to them as well as to their parents,” reported The Indian Express, quoting a senior official.
As of 23 December, Delhi has reported a total of 5,99,683 COVID-19 cases, with 8,735 of them being active. The capital has reported 10,329 deaths.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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