E-Paper
Haryana schools reopen for Classes 1 to 3, 45% attendance on Day 1
Haryana government has allowed schools to hold physical classes for primary students with 50% capacity; the state has around 6.25 students in classes 1 to 3
Nearly 45% attendance was recorded as schools in Haryana reopened for classes 1 to 3 on Monday.
Of the 6.25 students of classes 1 to 3 in state, around 1.41 lakh turned up for offline classes while 1,026 were sent back due to high body temperature. The government, in an order issued earlier, had allowed schools to resume physical classes with 50% capacity.
As per the data provided by the school education department, Kaithal had the highest attendance at 75% followed by Kurukshetra with 68%, Jind 63%, Jhajjar 60%, Sirsa 59%, Yamunanagar 53%, Rohtak 52% and Fatehabad 51%. Nuh witnessed the lowest attendance at 17%, followed by Pawal (25%) and Sonepat (28%).
As many as 74% students of classes 4-8 and 52% students of classes 9-12 were also in attendance on the day. Offline teaching had resumed for classes 9 to 12 from July 16, for classes 6 to 8 from July 23 and for classes 4 and 5 from September 1.
While students were seen in a cheerful mood as they met their friends after a long gap, the teachers were equally thrilled.
Sakshi Dhayal, a government primary teacher from Hisar, said, “It was good to see the students after such a long time. We have sensitised them about the importance of wearing face masks and following Covid-appropriate behaviour at all times.”
“We have asked students to refrain from hanging out in groups as these may increase chances of infection,” she said, adding that students have been barred from sharing food, water and even exchanging books and other items.
She said the attendance on the first day was encouraging, while adding that taking offline and online classes simultaneously was a challenging task.
Some parents also expressed relief at the school reopening, citing that their wards’ studies had been affected due to the lockdown.
“My children had to miss online classes as we could not afford the gadgets required for it. I am glad that schools have finally reopened,” said Hawa Singh, a labourer from Rohtak.
