Express press service

NEW DELHI: Schools in the city will start physical classes from April, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said at its review meeting on Friday. Secondary schools reopened on February 7 and primary from February 14. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has asked schools to follow a hybrid mode – allowing students to choose between online and offline lessons. From April, there will be no more online courses.

Bharat Arora, General Secretary of the Unaided Private Schools Action Committee, said: “It is a relief to know that the restrictions on the mode of education will be lifted. The Committee, an umbrella body of more than 2,000 schools of all categories, has asked the DDMA to allow fully offline classes from March 1 instead of April 1.

However, Vividh Gupta, Principal of Bal Bhawan Public School in Mayur Vihar Phase II, said, “Hybrid mode was adopted as a precautionary measure, but there were major challenges. Teachers struggled to manage students online. We are happy now that things are back to normal. Interactions and a healthy environment will be back in schools.

Expressing his joy at the decision, Dr Satvir Sharma, Principal of Vidya Bal Bhawan Secondary School, said, “There were requests from parents to continue with the hybrid mode as they did not want to send their children to school. However, these requests were few and our teachers had a lot of problems to take double courses. Parents don’t have to worry. The school is ready to resume physical lessons.

A day before the meeting, the National Progressive Schools Conference, a consortium of more than 400 leading private schools, had urged LG to end hybrid learning mode.