Covid shadow: Chandigarh govt schools reopen to low attendance

Chandigarh school education director Palika Arora said only 3-4% students turned up on the first day; most of these were students of Class 10

As physical classes for Classes 10 to 12 resumed on Tuesday, most government schools reported poor response.

Students leaving after attending classes at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 32, Chandigarh, on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

UT school education director Palika Arora said only 3-4% students turned up on the first day. “This could be due to the foggy weather conditions on Tuesday morning. We expect the attendance to increase in the coming days.”

According to the education department officials, majority of the present students were from Class 10.

On the other hand, some private schools reported better attendance. At St John’s High School in Sector 26, around 30% of the students reached school. “The boys were happy to be back and more are expected to start attending physical classes in the coming days,” said principal Kavita Das.

Meanwhile, not all private schools have reopened for offline classes. Principal of St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, Louis Lopez said considering parents’ feedback, they were continuing with online classes only.

HS Mamik, president of the Independent Schools’ Association said, “Parents of children in nursery and kindergarten classes are more eager about offline classes. The education department must look into this.”