All schools shut down as coronavirus spreads

In the wake of the Coronavirus spread in the National Capital region, the AAP government announced on Thursday that all primary schools in Delhi will remain closed till March 31.

To prevent the possibility of spread of Coronavirus, the Delhi government has ordered the immediate closure of primary schools in the National Capital till March 31, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was quoted as saying on Thursday.

All Delhi government, aided, private schools and those run by civic bodies will remain shut, said Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio. Many parents welcomed the move. It is a good precautionary initiative taken by the Delhi government. So far, we have not received any such notice from the school authorities, but just a tweet from Manish Sisodia. I’m happy that the government is thinking about the children and taking steps to prevent the spread of the virus, said Ritu Singh (34), mother of a six-year-old boy who studies in a private school in Vasant Kunj.

The step is good to keep our kids safe. They are too young to understand the precautions that they need to take at the time of this scare. We are happy that the children will stay at home for a month now. But, we have to make daycare arrangements for them as both of us work. We were not prepared for this sudden announcement of the closure of schools, said Muskan Kapoor, a 40-year-old working mother. Kapoor and her husband have two kids. The Green Park Extension residents go to work in Gurugram. While most parents hailed the move, some of them were worried that their kids will lag in studies. The increase in the number of school holidays is worrisome.

Usually, the government gives extension in holidays during summer break, winter vacations over the pollution crisis. Now, the schools will remain closed for a month over Coronavirus scare, said Pushpraj, a 36-year-old businessman who lives in Lajpat Nagar.

A private primary school teacher in Delhi, Heena Srivastava (29), said, Loss of studies, because of extended and sudden holidays, is not of much concern in primary schools. The study contents are less than that in the higher classes. In fact, the core studies start in July.

Nitin Kumar’s daughter is a student of Class II in Vikas Puri, and the 33-year-old is happy with the Delhi government’s decision. Health comes first for us. I’m sure that the school authorities will revise their curriculum according to the number of working days this year. The burden of studies is not much in primary schools, so the parents should not worry much, he said.