The COVID-19 pandemic looks set to disrupt the academic calendar of 2021 as state governments plan the logistics of administering vaccines.
The Indian Express on Wednesday quoted Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as saying there is "no possibility of reopening schools" before July.
Sisodia, who is also education minister of Delhi, told The Indian Express “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."
The Indian Express on Wednesday reported the Delhi government was mulling scrapping nursery admissions for the 2021-22 academic year. A government proposal notes "schools will admit two batches in 2022-23 instead—one in nursery, and the other in kindergarten".
An official told The Indian Express, "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.”
The admission process for nurseries in Delhi is a highly regulated process with the government laying out guidelines.
Various state governments have announced plans to reopen schools from January for higher grades.
COVID-19 spread declines
Delhi recorded 939 fresh COVID-19 cases and 25 new fatalities on Tuesday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 1.14 per cent, authorities said.
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The infection tally in the city mounted to over 6.18 lakh and the death toll rose to 10,329, they said.
This is the second consecutive day when the daily cases count has remained below the 1,000-mark. On Monday, 803 cases were reported, the lowest since August 17. The total number of cases has climbed to 6,18,747.