New Delhi: While the phased manner of reopening schools is necessary and many students across the Capital have been eagerly waiting to go back, many others have pointed to issues they are facing with the new adjustment period that offline mode of learning will bring again.
Over the last year and a half, online classes became the new mode of learning, even though students and teachers adjusted to the mode, it came with many unique learning curves. Overtime, the online mode became more familiar and many students who spoke to Millennium Post said they had lost touch with certain aspects of offline learning.
This paired with anxiety of getting sick or getting their family members sick during the pandemic has caused apprehensions within students and parents alike.
Students have also raised concerns over mental health issues. A student from 11th standard in a Delhi government school, said, "Online classes were intensive but we somehow managed to push through it but the sudden shift to offline classes is causing a lot of anxiety within the student body."
Another student from 12th standard in a different Delhi government school added, "We do want to go back, we have been waiting for this for a long time but our anxiety regarding the issue of Covid-19 and problems of mental health issues needs to be heard out too."
Several school students returning to campuses now told Millennium Post that they are having trouble reconciling the feeling of wanting to come back but also resisting leaving the comforts of learning online. All of them requested to remain anonymous fearing repercussions at their schools.
Many students complained of anxiety over going back and being able to fit in with their peers after not seeing them for such a long period of time.
A lot of anxiety amongst students also stems from not being able to seek mental health resources within the school level. While school counsellors and other school professionals are trying their level best to ensure that students are provided with relief in some form, it is very difficult to cater to the numbers present, experts in the field have said.
Most students, when asked, reaffirmed the need for reopening schools but also had concerns such as the ones mentioned above about the change in modes constantly making things difficult and uncertain for them.
On August 12, Delhi schools started the first phase of reopening. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met with heads of South East Delhi schools in order to discuss the details of the reopening.The first phase of reopening only allows students from 10th to 12th classes to visit their schools for practical counselling and admission related work.
The SOP issued to the students and parents included a consent form with the detailed guidelines of the first phase. The guidelines included mandatory sanitisation of schools, thermal scanning and more.