Delhi: Don’t open schools, parents tell minister

On July 17, education secretaries of all state governments and Union Territories received a letter from the HRD Ministry, seeking parents’ feedback on whether they would be comfortable with schools reopening in August, September or October.

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The association asked authorities to wait till a vaccine is found for Covid.

A parents’ association from the capital wrote to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Sunday, stating that it does not want schools to re-open in the 2020-2021 academic year until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.

On July 17, education secretaries of all state governments and Union Territories received a letter from the HRD Ministry, seeking parents’ feedback on whether they would be comfortable with schools reopening in August, September or October. A senior Delhi government official said the state government has not yet responded to this yet.

On Sunday, the Delhi Parents’ Association wrote to Pokhriyal, stating, “The order to shut all schools…had been made on March 16 when the number of infected cases were in the hundreds. Now, it has crossed 10 lakh cases… To deliberate upon reopening schools in this situation is in itself laughable.”

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It went on to recommend that students till Class VIII be passed to the next class without exams, students of Classes IX and XI be tested through online exams, and board exams be also held online if the situation is not under control by March next year.

The ministry has asked the secretaries to send the feedback by July, 2020.

The letter also asked parents about their expectations from schools once they reopen.

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