Digital detox: Doors open for physical-only classes in Delhi

After two years of mostly online classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi schools on Friday started a new academic session completely in the in-person mode. The day also saw the complete suspension of online classes and the resumption of cooked midday meals for children in government schools, much to the delight of students.

Schools were first closed in March 2020 after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and classes shifted to the online mode. While schools reopened for in-person classes a few times in the past two years, online classes were never completely suspended. The decision to phase out online classes was taken by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) only in February, following which schools were permitted to fully switch to offline classes from April 1, when the new academic session began.

Ankit Patra, a class 6 student at Chirag Enclave-Sarvodaya (Co-ed) Vidyalaya (Kautilya), said he was happy to be back in school and looked forward to making new friends. “It was a good first day and we took part in various activities. After a long time, we students got a chance to eat together during lunch break. We were served kadhi chawal and it was very good,” said Patra, who joined the school recently.

He also said in-person classes were better as students got a chance to make friends and interact freely. “While I don’t have many friends right now, but I think I will be able to befriend people more easily now since all of us will be coming to school daily,” said Patra.

Mahender Singh Rathore, another student of the school, said the mood on the campus was more uplifting with the return to normal schooling. “While I had started coming to school earlier this year when classes resumed, it was a different experience today since now there will be no online classes. Midday meal is also being provided to us and so we don’t have to stay hungry for a long time,” said Rathore.

Under the midday meal scheme, government school students in classes 1 to 8 are provided with a cooked lunch daily. With the Covid-19 pandemic necessitating the closure of schools, the government started providing dry ration kits to students in lieu of midday meals. Even though schools resumed in-person classes in February, the Delhi government had said midday meals would be served only when schools reopen at full capacity.

Municipal schools also resumed midday meals on Friday. At south Delhi’s Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya Girls School in Okhla, students were served dalia (a porridge of broken wheat) as part of the midday meal. Nuzhat Fatima, school principal, said midday meals are often served as an incentive for children to attend school regularly. “One cannot learn on an empty stomach. Midday meals are very significant for children in government schools since our students often come from economically weaker sections. It often happens that children reach school on an empty stomach and the midday meal is their first meal of the day. They light up when it’s time for the meal and also learn better post lunch,” said Fatima.

While the school saw a good turnout on Friday, a section of children, who studied at the school prior to the pandemic, is yet to return. Shagufta Nasreen, who teaches in class 3, said while 75% of students have returned, the school was unable to get in touch with a few of them. “The impact of two years of the pandemic has been far-reaching. While in-person classes had resumed before, it’s only now that we are making a fresh start. It will take another month for us to understand where students stand. The focus will be on bridging the learning gap,” said Fatima.

While many private schools started the new session on Friday, others will do so only on Monday. Sudha Acharya, chairperson of the National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC), which has over 120 Delhi schools as members, said that the resumption of offline classes without any riders was a fresh start. “Students and teachers are all excited to be back in school. In a way, this is a return to a sign of the normal,” said Acharya.