New Delhi: After having resumed physical classes for students of the 10th and 12th standards, the Delhi government is now set to welcome students of the 9th and 11th standards back to school starting from February 5. While making the announcement Delhi's Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that degree colleges, polytechnics, and ITIs under the Delhi government will also be reopened on the same day.
Sisodia directed officials to ensure safety for the students and proper sanitisation of the entire school premises in light of the pandemic. Students can now prepare well for their practicals and internal assessments and therefore reopening the schools and colleges was a necessity, he said.
He said that masks and sanitisers will be available at the school premises and social distancing norms should be followed and that students can come in only after getting their parent's approval.
"It is important to provide support and guidance to the students for them to prepare well for the exams. That is why the decision to reopen the schools was taken so that the students can attend the school with their parental consent and get gradually involved in the learning process," he said.
Even though there is no compensation for the loss of learning due to the pandemic, it is important to utilise the remaining time in the current academic year, he added.
The Delhi government on January 18 had reopened schools for students of Classes 10 and 12 to help them prepare for their upcoming board exams which is now witnessing close to 80 per cent attendance from the initial poor turn out.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Education (DOE) issued examination instructions for 9th and 11th standards. For class 11, practicals, projects and internal assessments will be conducted at the school level from March 1 and should be conducted before the commencement of annual examinations. Midterm examinations can be conducted between March 20 to April 15 at all the schools.
For Class 9, schools can conduct the first periodic assessment and second periodic assessment between the last week of February and the third week of March with midterm examinations between April 1 to 15, the DoE said in a statement.