'Allow Physical Classes,' Class 12 Delhi Student In Plea To Supreme Court

A Class 12 student from Delhi has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the centre and states to make a time-bound decision for physical reopening of schools.

The petitioner, Amar Prem Prakash, has said in the PIL that he is echoing the sentiments and feelings of a large body of the student community, particularly those left behind.

"Underprivileged and voiceless children are at a disadvantaged position to avail online education," Amar submitted in his plea.

"Non-reopening of schools is proving to be not only detrimental to the interests of students, but is also tantamount to discrimination and unfair treatment," he argued.

The online classes are adversely affecting physical and mental development of students and authorities should take a decision for holding physical classes as the pandemic has substantially subsided, he said in his PIL.

The schools have been shut since the beginning of the pandemic last March.

VK Paul, chairman of the National Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration, on the question of reopening schools last month said states are taking decision in this regard. While accelerated vaccinations are allowed by guidelines for specific sections in the 18 to 44 year age group, it is a "tight rope walk".

"Not easy to expose teachers, children. And this has to be weighed against reopening. It is very important that SOPs are followed," Mr Paul had said.

Some states and union territories have either partially opened or have announced plans to re-open schools, mostly for class 9 to 12 only.

India is likely to start vaccinating children by September, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV in an interview last month.

The government aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of this year. However, the country is yet to clear a vaccine for children amid concern over a third wave.

"We need to get our own vaccines too - that's why both Bharat Biotech and Zydus are important. Getting the Pfizer vaccine will also be helpful, as there is enough data to suggest it's safe... but we can't be sure if we will get required numbers. We will hopefully have more than one vaccine for children by September," the AIIMS chief told NDTV.

A study by medical journal The Lancet has underlined that "living with 11-17 year olds increases the risk of infection by 18-30 per cent".

Health experts have been stressing that vaccination and vigilance are the only two ways ahead.

"Schools are open across the world. Even at the peak of the pandemic, in many countries, schools were open...We have more than 15 months of evidence that schools do not contribute to the transmission of the virus more than what children are exposed to at home," epidemiologist Dr Chandrakant Lahariya had told NDTV in July.