The All India Parents' Association (AIPA) has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal demanding that vaccination centres running in government schools be shifted to other places and teachers posted on Covid duty be called back. The letter comes following the reduction in coronavirus cases as well as reopening of schools in the national capital after prolonged closure.
"Now that students have started returning to school, vaccination centres running in government schools should be shifted to other places. Also, teachers posted on Covid duties should be called back since the number of cases have gone down considerably," AIPA president Ashok Agarwal said in the letter.
It is important to provide a safe and secure environment to students where they can concentrate on studies as "there has already been a significant learning loss due to the Covid-induced school closure", he said. Amid declining coronavirus cases in the city, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided to reopen higher education institutions and coaching centres along with schools for classes 9-12 from February 7. It also decided to reopen schools for students from nursery to class 8 from February 14.
Delhi on Thursday reported 739 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 1.48 per cent, according to the city health department. The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. While the Centre has dropped the mandatory parental consent for students to physically attend schools from its guidelines and left it to the states, the Delhi government has decided to continue with it.
There is no cap of 50 per cent student strength and schools are free to decide the number of students based on their infrastructure so that the Covid protocols are followed. According to guidelines issued by the DDMA, the area or part of a school being used for vaccination or ration distribution should be properly separated or demarcated from the area which is being used for academic activities.
"In this regard, district administration shall cordon off the area demarcated for the vaccination or ration distribution centre, make separate entry or exit for this purpose and deploy sufficient number of civil defense volunteers to avoid mingling of students with the persons coming to vaccination or ration distribution centres," the guidelines stated.
With PTI Inputs
