Very Few Students Attend Classes As Shimla Schools Reopen

Very few students turned up in schools and colleges which reopened in Shimla on Monday after being shut for seven and a half months, because of the Covid-19 induced lockdown. 

Students that did attend, walked into classrooms after undergoing thermal scanning. Educational institutions have also adopted new seating patterns, following social-distancing norms.

In the Government Senior Secondary school in Portmore, only 20-25 students chose to show up on Day 1 of reopening. A total of 1,200 students are enrolled in the schools. However, the school’s principal Naresh Kumar Sood is optimistic that more students will attend classes. “We had only 20-25 students today. It's good that parents and students now have realised that there is no alternative to classroom teaching,” Sood said.

Ishita, a Class IX student, was overjoyed to return to school. And though all classrooms were properly sanitised, she chose to carry a small bottle of hand sanitiser as a precautionary measure for personal use.

“Coming back to school after such a long time definitely feels good. Also, its so nice to meet my teachers and classmates after such a long break. Though we had been attending online classes for the past few months, its nice to be back,” said Vanshika, another student.

Outside the gates of Rajiv Gandhi government degree college in Shimla’s Kotshera locality, students were not just undergoing thermal scanning but were also given tips on social distancing by the college staff.

College principal Pawan Salaria said that students of different streams such as science, commerce and arts were allowed to enter the campus in different groups, to avoid over-crowding. “Prior to reopening we also created awareness amongst our students about social-distancing through our website and other mediums,” Salaria added.

Around two dozen schools and half a dozen colleges reopened in Shimla today, yet a very dismal number of students turned up for classes.

Mohit Gupta, principal of Kendriya Vidyalya located at Jakhu in Shimla, told Outlook that one of the reasons for low attendance may be the fact that not many parents were convinced if the institutions would properly enforce standard-operating procedures. “It might take a while for parents to confidently send their wards to schools,” Gupta added.

However, many parents are still apprehensive of sending their child to school during a pandemic.

Anil Bodh, a parent in Shimla, said that expecting children to strictly adhere to social-distancing norms was unreasonable and added that reopening schools at a time when the Covid-19 cases in the state was increasing was not a good move.

“I did not send my son to school as there is a high risk of the virus spreading amongst students. The number of Covid-19 cases in the state has already reached 22,277 with 325 people succumbing to the infection. On Sunday, eight persons died of whom three were from Shimla. Education minister Govid Singh has himself tested positive along with his entire family. At such a time how can one expect children to follow social distancing once they meet after such a long time? I will watch the situation for the next few days before I decide to send my son to school,” Bodh said.

Rajeev Sharma, secretary (education), said that the government hadn’t expected much rush during the very first day of reopening, adding that its not mandatory for students to attend classes physically.

“The reports from Shimla, Mandi, Una and Bilaspur suggest that only 7 to 8 per cent of students chose to attend classes. The school managements have been asked to continue with their online schedule and its not mandatory for students to attend physical classes. The parents are also required to provide written consent for sending their wards to regular classes,” Sharma said.

Many states have already reopened schools for higher classes. Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country also plan to follow suit as they are expected to resume regular classes for students in standards 9 to 12 from November 2 onwards.