After schools reopened for students of all grades last month, authorities have been asked to intensify their implementation of the Parents Samvaad programme to engage parents in the children’s return to classes. Last October, the Delhi government launched the Parents Samvaad programme under which every School Management Committee (SMC) member and parent volunteers, called school mitras, have been put in charge of staying in touch with parents of 50 students who reside in their locality or a neighbouring locality. Every month, a theme on parenting, parent-child communication and involvement of parents in their education will be set on which these members will be trained. A toll-free calling system has been set up through which these members can contact the parents, or vice-versa, and apart from talking about the child’s welfare and education, they are also to discuss the month’s theme with the parents. After the schools reopened for students of all grades last month, they have been directed to engage parents to ensure “students regular attendance and proper learning”. The heads of all schools have been directed to meet their school’s SMC members and school mitras and facilitate physical meetings between them and the parents of the students mapped to them. The department also noted that the defunct contact numbers of students continue to be an issue. “It has been noticed that phone numbers of a large number of students are outdated This requires the schools to update the contact details of the students,” the department has instructed schools. Schools reopened for classes 9 to 12 on February 7 and for pre-primary, primary and middle grades on February 14.
