The state government of Delhi on Monday, April 19, 2021, announced the preponement of summer vacations due to rising COVID-19 cases. Subsequently, summer vacations shall be preponed in all schools present within the national capital. Earlier, the summer vacations were scheduled to begin from May 11, 2021. They were to continue till June 30, 2021 before the start of the new academic year 2021-22. However, the summer vacation has been rescheduled from April 20, 2021 to June 09, 2021.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) issued an order on Monday i.e., April 19, 2021. The order implied that amid rising COVID-19 cases and the ongoing pandemic, summer vacation has been rescheduled. They shall now begin from April 20, 2021, rather than May 11, 2021. Furthermore, the last day of vacation has been changed from June 30, 2021, to June 09, 2021.
DoE’s order also instructed all heads of schools to spread this vital information among the students, parents, teaching, and non-teaching staff. They can do so via phone calls, SMS, and other instant communication means.
Earlier on Monday, Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister, announced a 6-day lockdown in the national capital. This lockdown shall be from April 19, 2021, 10:00 pm to April 26, 2021, up to 5:00 am. Kejriwal commented that the lockdown was necessary to tackle the surge in coronavirus cases. The lockdown was also implemented to provide some respite to the overburdened healthcare system in the city.
The Delhi government on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, announced that all online and semi-online teaching activities shall be suspended from April 20, 2021 to June 09, 2021. The order was specifically directed towards private schools within the capital.
DoE commented on the issue stating that summer vacations within the city were preponed due to the rising COVID-19 cases. Despite this order, certain private schools are still continuing with their regular online teaching methods. Thus, it has been ordered that all online and semi-online teaching activities in private schools shall remain suspended as in the case of government schools.
The order, however, permits schools to carry out vacation-related activities and remedial classes for certain students. Moreover, activities instilling and ensuring happiness, creativity, and general well-being of students. These activities must strive to improve the overall growth of students without being physically present in school.
Schools in Delhi were shut down last year due to the nationwide lockdown being imposed to curb the COVID-19 spread. Once the situation subsided, the Delhi government ordered to reopen schools for classes 9 to 12 with the permission of parents. However, the second wave of coronavirus again forced the schools to shut.
