Creating confusion and panicking situation among the parents, the Deputy Director of Education, Central and New Delhi district Vikas Kalia has passed an order to all the Heads of Schools (HOS) in the district to 'continue online classes for only Class I to IX and XI.' Citing this order some schools especially the private ones such as Sumermal Jain Public School, Janakpuri, Maharaja Agarsen School, Ashok Vihar, sent a message to the parents that online classes for class X and XII will be discontinued as the schools have been re-opened for these grades.
While, the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as well the DoE said, that attending school is completely optional and attendance is not mandatory and students will be allowed in schools only with parents consent. In the order, the DDE Kalia has instructed the HOS to 'continue online classes for classes I to IX and XI. But, it did not mention anything about online classes of class X and XII.
The order only had instructions to teachers and HOS about the conduct, planning, preparing and teaching of offline Classes to X and XII. Although, the district DDE, asked the schools to convince the parents to send their children to schools for offline classes. "Teachers must call the parents telephonically to explain to them the importance of classes. If parents are not convinced by the teachers, the principal must talk to them. If still, some parents do not allow their wards to attend the classes then call a Parents Teachers Meeting (PTM) of the parents who refuse to send their children to school," read the order.
It said the safety arrangments made by HOS for the students must be shown to such parents in order to convince them to send their children t school. "The order has created a panic among parents. In one side you are saying offline classes are optional and on another side, the government is sending orders to schools to stop online classes for class X and XII. The schools are now literally forcing the parents to send their students to schools," said a parent of a student from Sumermal Jain Public School.
The parent also added, "Some are concerned about children safety and there are many reasons for not sending the children to school due to lack of transport facility and financial conditìons." Another parent of Maharaja Agarsen said, "It is another nexus of private schools. We request the Deputy CM to intervene in the matter." Another parent DC Srivasta, Nav Jivan Academy said, "The school clearly told us in the PTM that online classes will be discontinued for class 10 and 12. The schools can simply stream the offline classes online fòr the students not attending school."
When asked, the principal of Sumermal Jain Public School, said, "It is an order from the education department and the schools have to follow it and there is no alternative. All the schools have got this order including the government. If teachers are coming to school for physical classes, they cannot take online clàsses. So, they have cancelled the oñline classes as the schools in whole Delhi have started." She added, that a single teacher cannot be at both places, they are also human beings. So, keeping it in mind the department has done it. However, in other districts, the schools are conducting both offline and online classes.
