Delhi govt schools in violence-hit areas to open on Saturday for staff to assess situation

The city government schools which were closed in view of violence in northeast Delhi and parts of east Delhi will open on Saturday for principals and staff to assess the current situation, officials of the Directorate of Education (DoE) said on Friday.

The schools were earlier announced to be closed till February 29.

"The schools will open tomorrow for heads and all staff. A meeting of school management committee (SMC) will be convened, during which the present situation will be assessed comprehensively to explore the possibility of creating a conducive atmosphere for conducting board examinations as well as annual school exams," a senior DoE official said.

"Heads of schools have been asked to prepare comprehensive reports with details about the present state of preparedness and the earliest time frame for conducting the examinations and the prospect of opening schools for students," the official added.

Schools have been closed in northeast Delhi and east Delhi for four consecutive days. The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) has postponed board exams in the area till February 29.

The communal violence in northeast Delhi sparked by protests over the amended citizenship law has so far claimed 42 lives and left over 200 people injured.

Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel. Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas severely affected by the riots.