Attendance remains thin on day one of school reopening

Government schools across the city that reopened for students of classes 10 and 12 on Monday saw a thin turnout, with representatives of city schools saying that

Government schools across the city that reopened for students of classes 10 and 12 on Monday saw a thin turnout, with representatives of city schools saying that the requirement of a health clearance might have acted as a deterrent.

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Schools said that they had to turn away students who did not have a health clearance. In addition to the standard Covid-19 measures, such as thermal scanning and sanitisation, students are required to produce a health clearance certificate this time as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the education department.

Kavita Sapra, a teacher at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 4/7, said that the class strength was low since many students couldn’t manage to obtain a health clearance. While around 15 students in class 10 visited the school, only two to three students in class 12 came for the sessions.

“The student strength was less today. The education department had put the condition that students would need a health clearance prior to visiting schools. Since many students are facing issues in getting clearance, they did not show up. We admitted only those students who had the clearance,” said Sapra. She added that the number of students visiting schools on Monday was relatively fewer in comparison to past sessions. “The requirement of a health clearance is a new addition to the SOPs. Many students are struggling to get the health certificate. They have been visiting health centres but they are crowded,” said Sapra.

She said that children were also under the impression that they needed a negative Covid-19 test whereas the department had only sought a basic screening test, clearing them of common covid-19 symptoms such as fever and cold. “There is some confusion among students. We have been guiding them and clearing their doubts. We expect the attendance to go up in the next two to three days,” said Sapra.

At Government Senior Secondary School, Bhondsi, most students who came for physical classroom sessions did not have a health clearance. To meet the requirement, the school reached out to the nearest government health centre, which made arrangements for RT-PCR tests on campus. “Since schools were reopening today, I wrote to the nearest primary healthcare centre (PHC) head and requested them to screen our children for Covid-19 symptoms. To avoid overcrowding at the centre, doctors visited the school for screening and even conducted Covid tests for staff and students,” said Shyam Raghav, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhondsi. Around 60 students in class 10 and 12 visited the school on Monday.

Priyanka, 16, a class 12 student who visited the school, was among those who got a Covid-19 test done to get back on the campus. She couldn’t get the screening test done earlier due to high prices of tests. “I visited various health facilities in the village yesterday with my father but they were charging ₹1,200 for the screening test. It’s not possible for students in government schools to afford such expensive tests,” said Priyanka.

At Government Senior Secondary School in Islampur, not a single student turned up for the physical classroom session. Raj Kumar, school principal, said that the requirement of a health clearance might have been a deterrent for students. “Students are occupied with the health clearance, it seems. That’s the only new addition in the SOPs this time,” said Kumar.

Deputy district education officer Kalpna Singh said many students were not able to understand the requirement of health clearance. “Many students were not fully aware of the provision of health clearance. Even parents might not be sending children to these centres due to overcrowding and other factors,” said Singh. She said that the department could possibly reach out to the health department and ask them to conduct random screening checks for schools on request. District education officer Indu Boken couldn’t be reached for comment.