Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia fears a generation of kids may be left behind

NEW DELHI: A generation of children will be left behind if schools in the capital continue to remain closed, deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday.
The remarks, tweeted by the minister, came after a delegation representing more than 1,600 parents submitted a petition urging him to reopen schools as their closure is “affecting not only studies, but also the mental and emotional well-being of children”.
The delegation was led by policy experts Chandrakant Lahariya and Yamini Aiyar.
Sisodia said he agreed with the parents that continued closure had resulted in a huge learning gap. “In the past two years, children have been confined to their rooms. Instead of spending time on the playground, all their activities now take place on mobile phones. When the pandemic began, our priority was children’s safety. But since research has shown Covid may not be harmful for kids, it is important to reopen schools, especially in time for exams,” he said.
Later, Sisodia tweeted: “We closed schools when it was not safe for children but excessive caution is now harming our children. A generation of children will be left behind if we do not open our schools now.”
Delhi government will recommend reopening schools to DDMA, which will meet on Thursday.
According to Dr Lahariya, various studies showed risks associated with Covid are less among kids. “School closure has a few advantages but its negative impact on learning and emotional well-being is very high,” he said.
The memorandum submitted by parents said, “According to World Bank, learning poverty in India is expected to increase from 55% to 70% due to learning loss and more out-of-school children. For younger children, long-term denial of social play is causing isolation and serious developmental issues.” It added that experts have concluded that younger kids are at a “very low risk” of severe or fatal Covid-19.
Several other parents TOI spoke to stressed on the need to reopen schools. Devasish Tewary, whose daughter is a Class 11 student at Srijan School in Model Town, suggested the government could open schools in a staggered manner.
“It can be done in two phases – first for classes 6 to 12 and after a fortnight for other classes. Since the vaccination drive is being undertaken actively and other activities have restarted with no severe adverse results, education must be brought back to normal too,” he said.
Some parents also urged reopening of higher education institutions. “The digital divide between the rich and the poor is massive and the majority of students have been deprived of education. There is no substitute for physical classes. The personalities of students undergo a sea change when they meet their peers. At home, they don’t know what sports or live debate or co-curricular activity is,” said DS Rana, member of All India Parents’ Association.