New Delhi: Even as several parents seeking for schools to be reopened in the Capital have argued that school administrators and managements need to step up and lobby for reopening, a body of private school administrators have now written to L-G Anil Baijal — seeking a meeting to discuss the continued school closure.
The Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools, an umbrella body of private schools in Delhi, pushed for schools to be reopened in the city with the L-G and sought a meeting to discuss that.
Last week, a delegation of parents had met with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia — seeking that schools and anganwadi centres be the first to be reopened as the Covid relaxations kick in. However, the day after the meeting, the DDMA allowed all economic activities in the city to reopen while keeping schools and educational institutes shut for one more week.
Disappointed over the decision, Tanya Aggarwal, a lawyer and parent who had met with the Deputy CM, said that the decision was bizarre and sought to know the rationale behind the call. She had said that like traders and market associations are lobbying for their economic interests, school administrators also need to step up and start calling for the government to reopen schools.
"It is our humble request to you to kindly reopen schools as our students at all levels have been facing major learning losses for around two years now. We assure you of the safe and smooth reopening of schools. Many major metro cities in India and abroad have reopened schools. We believe it is time when Delhi also takes a strong decision to reopen physical learning spaces," the school body wrote in its letter to the L-G on Sunday.
"In addition, kindly allow a delegation of the Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools to meet your excellency to discuss this issue in detail," it added.
Therapy for disabled kids to resume
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has said that children with disabilities will be able to resume face-to-face therapy sessions from next month even as there is no decision yet on reopening schools.
The Education Department has said that since the service is considered to be a "para-medical activity", these sessions can resume from February 3.
Under the programme, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and behaviour modification for children with special needs will be conducted in government schools.