As Delhi schools reopen, learning loss, adverse impact on kids seen
Published: 04:11 PM,Nov 01,2021 | EDITED : 08:11 PM,Nov 01,2021
Children hold balloons as they enter their school in New Delhi on Monday. - AFP
NEW DELHI: Many schools in the Indian capital New Delhi reopened on Monday after remaining shut for 19 months due to the pandemic, with research showing the closures have led to learning loss and widening inequities for children in the region.
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said classes in schools resumed with 50 per cent seating capacity amid other government guidelines on masking, thermal scanning and staggered entry and exit for students.
Several private schools have however chosen to defer the reopening after Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls on Thursday.
Following a marked improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the city, the local government restarted in-person learning for Grade 9 onwards from September 1.
Monday is the first time since March 2020 that all schools in Delhi are reopening for classes up to Grade 8.
With the 50 per cent attendance curbs, teaching will continue in a hybrid mode, meaning online classes will continue.
Indian states like Kerala and West Bengal were also resuming classes, following the cue of other Indian provinces reopening schools in recent weeks.
School closures in South Asia have interrupted the learning of 424 million children, the United Nations Children's Fund says, with its research showing that a substantial proportion of students and their parents reported that students learned significantly less compared to the pre-pandemic levels.
In India, 80 per cent of children aged 14-18 years reported lower levels of learning than when physically at school, the research showed. Underprivileged children - who do not have access to computers and smartphones for online classes and also did not have adults at home to help them with their studies - have been especially impacted.
Girls, children from the most disadvantaged households and children with disabilities faced the biggest challenges while learning remotely, the Unicef study said.
At the same time, data provided by child rights organisations points at an increasing number of children falling prey to trafficking, exploitation - often within the family - and in many cases, child marriage.
Its experts have said the pandemic has threatened to reverse 25 years of progress on child marriage, fuelled by school closures and economic destitution.
An additional 200,000 girls in South Asia are expected to be forced into marriage this year, the charity estimated.
India is second only to the United States in terms of its coronavirus caseload, with over 34.2 million cases. Official data says 451,112 people have died, but experts say the number is likely much higher. - dpa
Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said classes in schools resumed with 50 per cent seating capacity amid other government guidelines on masking, thermal scanning and staggered entry and exit for students.
Several private schools have however chosen to defer the reopening after Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls on Thursday.
Following a marked improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the city, the local government restarted in-person learning for Grade 9 onwards from September 1.
Monday is the first time since March 2020 that all schools in Delhi are reopening for classes up to Grade 8.
With the 50 per cent attendance curbs, teaching will continue in a hybrid mode, meaning online classes will continue.
Indian states like Kerala and West Bengal were also resuming classes, following the cue of other Indian provinces reopening schools in recent weeks.
School closures in South Asia have interrupted the learning of 424 million children, the United Nations Children's Fund says, with its research showing that a substantial proportion of students and their parents reported that students learned significantly less compared to the pre-pandemic levels.
In India, 80 per cent of children aged 14-18 years reported lower levels of learning than when physically at school, the research showed. Underprivileged children - who do not have access to computers and smartphones for online classes and also did not have adults at home to help them with their studies - have been especially impacted.
Girls, children from the most disadvantaged households and children with disabilities faced the biggest challenges while learning remotely, the Unicef study said.
At the same time, data provided by child rights organisations points at an increasing number of children falling prey to trafficking, exploitation - often within the family - and in many cases, child marriage.
Its experts have said the pandemic has threatened to reverse 25 years of progress on child marriage, fuelled by school closures and economic destitution.
An additional 200,000 girls in South Asia are expected to be forced into marriage this year, the charity estimated.
India is second only to the United States in terms of its coronavirus caseload, with over 34.2 million cases. Official data says 451,112 people have died, but experts say the number is likely much higher. - dpa