A week after reopening, government schools record nearly 60% attendance

A week after government schools across the city reopened for classes 6-8 after nearly 11 months, attendance is picking up even though schools continue to grapple with the task of bridging the learning gap due to prolonged closure

A week after government schools across the city reopened for classes 6-8 after nearly 11 months, attendance is picking up even though schools continue to grapple with the task of bridging the learning gap due to prolonged closure. School heads said that nearly 50-60% students have started visiting schools for physical classroom sessions and the key challenge is to ensure that all students are on the same page in terms of learning.

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Suman Sharma, principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 4/7, said that attendance in classes was gradually getting back to pre-pandemic levels with teachers striving to recap important topics. “Class strength is getting back to normal with each passing day. The bigger challenge that remains is to bridge the learning gap. There are students who missed out on the lessons due to lack of digital devices while those who were connected remotely couldn’t keep up with the lessons or fully comprehend what was being taught,” said Sharma.

Schools across the country were closed in March last year amid the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Voluntary visits to schools in Haryana for doubt-clearing sessions were allowed from September, followed by regular classes from November 2 for students in classes 9 to 12. Schools were reopened for students in classes 6-8 last Monday.

Teachers and school heads said that while students in senior classes were relatively self-reliant, students in classes 6 to 8 had not been able to keep up with the lessons imparted during the lockdown. To cover up the learning gap, teachers have been directed to ensure that the first few weeks are used for revision of key lessons that were covered during remote classes.

Rajesh Kumar, who teaches science to students in classes 6-8, said that many students who were connected through WhatsApp where at best passive recipients. “During remote classes, students did not ask questions out of hesitancy. They couldn’t clarify the doubts then and did not get adequate support from the parents either. They have a poor understanding of concepts. We plan to revise lessons so that students get a chance to clarify their doubts before proceeding ahead,” said Kumar. He said that the last period of the daily schedule is being used to practice writing.

Raj Kumar, principal, Government Senior Secondary School in Islampur, said that teachers were trying to ascertain students’ understanding of lessons and felt that not all students had been able to fully understand the topics. “While lessons were relayed over WhatsApp groups, the concepts were not fully grasped by students. Many students didn’t have any support at home. Now, when teachers ask questions, we are able to understand that substantial hand-holding will be needed to bridge this gap,” said Kumar.

Kamal Chandra, a Class 6 student, said that physical classes were better for comprehension. “While I was connected to teachers via WhatsApp, sometimes the messages would get lost or take a lot of time to get loaded. There was some gap in responding to tests and notes. I like the classroom since there is no lag,” said Chandra.

Kalpna Singh, deputy district education officer, admitted that the prolonged closure of schools had impacted the learning levels and getting back on track would take time. She said that teachers had been asked to take cognisance of the fact that children were away from regular learning for the past 11 months and teach accordingly. “A significant gap in learning has developed over the last year. Students, especially in younger classes, need help in picking up writing and oral skills. I have asked teachers to ensure that students get to practise writing in the last period. We need to see if students are able to articulate their understanding of topics through writing after this gap,” said Singh.

Meanwhile private schools continued to remain closed for physical classroom sessions. Most schools said that they would continue to hold online classes till the situation gets back to normal.