Low attendance marks first day as schools reopen in Gurugram

Private schools in Gurugram reopened to largely vacant classrooms on Tuesday, as in-person lessons for vaccinated students in classes 10 and 12 resumed in institutions across Haryana

Private schools in Gurugram reopened to largely vacant classrooms on Tuesday, as in-person lessons for vaccinated students in classes 10 and 12 resumed in institutions across Haryana. However, the attendance was comparatively better at state-run schools in the city, with officials attributing this to disruptions brought on by online learning among lower-income groups.

Students of Class XII attend a class at Govt Senior Secondary School in Sushant Lok after schools reopened, in Gurugram, on Feburary 01, 2022.  (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Administrators in private schools blamed the weather for the poor attendance, while some claimed that with most of the syllabus completed, there was little incentive for students to attend physical classes.

Rashmi Malik, principal of Salwan Public School in Gurugram’s Sector 15, said the fog on Tuesday hampered the turnout on the first day of reopening.

“Around 35% students attended school. To ensure social distancing, we are calling students in two groups on alternate days. Only vaccinated students are allowed. Almost 90% of our students have received the first vaccine dose,” she said.

The attendance at Sun City School in Sector 54 was also lower than expected and the school management said turnouts were likely to improve only from the next academic session.

“We had around 25% attendance, as most students in these classes have exams in February as well as in March or April. The syllabus is over and it is the time for revision,” said Rupa Chakravarti, the school director.

Schools have been closed several times over the past few months, either on account of rising air pollution or due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

On January 3, the Haryana government had ordered closure of schools (WHY). However, education minister Kanwar Pal on January 25, announced the reopening of schools for classes 10 to 12 from February 1 due a drop in Covid-19 cases across the state. He also said that a decision on reopening of Class 1 to 9 would be taken later this month.

A few prominent schools also did not restart classes on Tuesday, preferring to hold off till more parents consent to their children attending lessons in person.

Aparna Erry, principal, DAV Public School in Sector 14, however, said that her institute did not resume classes as students were preparing for pre-board and board examinations. “We will be opening the school in the coming weeks,” she said.

However, it was a different picture in government schools on Tuesday.

Manish Yadav, principal of Vikas Public School in Wazirabad, said that there was a big difference in online capabilities of budget schools and digital affordability was an issue for many students. “Almost 50% of students were back on Tuesday as online learning can be cumbersome,” he said.

The Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School at Sector 43 in Sushant Lok-1, saw around 45% students turning up on Tuesday.

“The first day saw 45 percent of students return to school and more will be attending offline classes in the next few days. We also held a vaccination camp on Tuesday and the second dose of vaccine was administered to our students,” said Beenu Yadav, the school vice-principal.

Meanwhile, the Gurugram health department held a meeting with private schools on Tuesday. It said that a team will conduct vaccination camps daily on the campuses of private schools. “We will hold daily camps at these schools soon,” said Virender Yadav, the chief medical officer.