Delhi Metro restrictions and security arrangements ahead of a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar have prompted several schools and colleges to move classes online, reschedule parent-teacher meetings and postpone examinations scheduled for October 10, according to notices issued by the institutions and reported by Millennium Post.
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya has informed parents that classes for students from Classes 6 to 12 will be conducted online on Saturday because of extensive barricading in the New Delhi area and concerns over student safety. The school has also discontinued its stay-back facility for students on Friday. Its Activity Week inauguration, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed, with a fresh date to be announced later.
Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School has rescheduled its parent-teacher meeting, which was scheduled for Saturday to discuss students’ report cards. The school said the revised schedule would be communicated to parents. At Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Mehta Vidyalaya on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, sports day practice and enrichment classes for students in Classes 9 to 12 have been cancelled because of the proposed protest and concerns for students’ safety.
The disruption has also affected higher education institutions. Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering in Paschim Vihar postponed its mid-term examinations scheduled for Saturday to Monday. In a notice, the college cited anticipated closure of entry and exit gates at several metro stations and possible disruption of services. It said the decision followed directions from the dean of the University School of Information, Communication and Technology at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and the Joint Commissioner of Police, Transport Range, Delhi. Examination timings will remain unchanged on the revised date.
The Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology in Rohini has also postponed its mid-term examinations scheduled for Saturday. The institute has moved them to October 12, citing communication from the Delhi Police regarding anticipated metro restrictions. The revised schedule was approved by the dean of USICT and the BTech Programme Coordination Committee, while department heads were asked to inform faculty members and students.
The reported arrangements follow a request from the Delhi Police to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to close entry and exit gates at 57 metro stations from 9 pm on Friday until further notice. The police cited the proposed protest at Jantar Mantar and the possibility of unruly movement towards sensitive locations.
The decisions show how restrictions on a city’s transport network can quickly affect institutions beyond the immediate protest area. Schools have altered teaching and student-safety arrangements, while colleges have changed examination schedules because students and staff may depend on metro stations for access. The notices cited in the report do not provide a common reopening time for all affected stations; the Delhi Police request was for closures from Friday night until further notice.
