Delhi schools to remain closed; more seats for higher education
Schools in Delhi will remain shut until further notice, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday. Sisodia said that the decision has been taken to prevent the risk of COVID-19 transmission among children. Delhi is notably among the worst-hit regions in the outbreak across India. The viral disease continues to spread rapidly across the national capital, despite a downward trend nationwide.
All government, private, aided/unaided, corporation schools to remain shut
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Sisodia said, "All government, private, government-aided/unaided, and corporation schools will remain closed until further notice." Sisodia said many parents and teachers have suggested keeping schools closed for in-person classes. He and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken the decision to keep schools shut considering the risk of transmission as parents themselves, he said.
'Wherever schools reopened, infections rose'
Sisodia—who also holds the education portfolio in the Delhi Cabinet—said, "Even if 200-400 students start attending in-person classes, that would increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission among children." "Wherever schools have reopened around the world, a rise in COVID-19 infections among students has been observed," he added, "Hence, the Delhi government has decided that schools will not open in Delhi as of now."
1,330 more seats added for higher education: Sisodia
Further, Sisodia announced that students who recently graduated from school and will now seek admission in colleges will have more seats to fill. "The government has added 1,330 seats across higher education institutions in Delhi," the Deputy CM announced during the presser. This would benefit students seeking admission to colleges affiliated with the Delhi government's Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
630 more seats for B.Tech; 220 for B.Com
630 and 220 seats have been added to B.Tech and B.Com courses respectively. 120 seats have been added to BBA and BA(Honors) Economics courses each. 90 seats have been added to the BCA course, followed by 60 for MBA, etc. "These 1,330 seats are equivalent to five-six new colleges because whenever a new college opens, it adds 200-300 new seats," Sisodia said.
Delhi reported record rise in infections on Tuesday
Delhi has witnessed a rise in coronavirus infections of late. The national capital reported a record single-day rise of 4,853 infections on Tuesday, pushing the total count to 3,64,341. The daily positivity rate also reached an all-time high of 8.48%, with 57,210 tests being performed. The total count includes 3,30,112 recoveries, while 44 more fatalities brought the death toll to 6,356.
