For the first time in two years, private schools in the tricity are all set open completely in offline mode, with the new academic session (2022-23) kicking off from Monday.
The schools had remained largely closed for the last two years, opening for offline classes only for brief periods when online classes were held simultaneously, due to the pandemic-induced restrictions that came into force in March 2020.
At government schools, meanwhile, since final exams are still going on, a call on when to start offline classes for the new academic year is yet to be taken.
The UT education department has not issued any instructions regarding reopening of schools, however, the managements of most private schools have confirmed that they won’t be having online classes anymore.
Independent Schools’ Association (ISA) president HS Mamik said, “The UT education department had held a meeting with schools where we had asked them for permission to switch to offline mode only. While children are free to go out for other activities, it is detrimental to keep them away from classrooms.”
Even before the third wave, the attendance had gone over 90% in lower classes at Vivek High School, Sector 38, Mamik added.
{{/usCountry}}Even before the third wave, the attendance had gone over 90% in lower classes at Vivek High School, Sector 38, Mamik added.
{{/usCountry}}Principal of St Stephens School, Sector 45, Louis Lopez added, “We will also open for classes from Monday. An overwhelming majority of parents have themselves requested us to resume offline classes and it is important for students as well.”
Director-principal of Saupin’s School, ABS Sidhu added, “Students need to be present in school to integrate with other students and teachers as it is necessary for their academic and social growth.”
UT district education officer (DEO) Prabhjot Kaur said, “We are awaiting orders from higher authorities and a final call regarding reopening of schools in offline mode will be taken soon.”
Long queues seen outside bookstores
With schools set to reopen, parents had a harrowing time over the weekend as they waited in long queues outside bookstores in Sector 19 and Sector 22 to purchase course books and back-to-school supplies. This is an annual feature in the tricity but queues of this magnitude had not been seen during the lockdowns.
Manju, a parent from Panchkula who was in a queue outside the bookstore in Sector 19, said, “I came to the shop around 9am but was able to get the books only around 2pm.”
Many people also took to social media to highlight how they had to stand in queues for as long as six hours in the sweltering heat. Many also accused the schools of working in collusion with bookshops and in turn, causing inconvenience for the parents.
Chandigarh Parents Association (CPA) president Nitin Goyal said, “In compliance with the orders of Madras high court and the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Chandigarh administration has passed directions to all private schools to prescribe NCERT books only. But many private schools have ignored these directions, and the education department is yet to take any action against them. Private schools say that the parents are free to buy textbooks from anywhere but the books prescribed are such that they are available at only one shop.”
On ways to improve the situation, Mamik said, “It’s a logistics issue. Over 80,000 students are visiting the same bookstores in the tricity around the same time. Many schools provide the facility to buy books from school itself, but only a few parents opt for this. More parents should consider doing this.”
Similarly, long queues were also seen at shops selling school uniforms in Sector 19.