Schools reopen in rural Pune - Hindustan Times
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Schools reopen in rural Pune

Hindustan Times, Pune | ByDheeraj Bengrut, Pune
Nov 24, 2020 04:26 PM IST

Educational institutions in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic areas continue to be shut till December 13 and November 30 respectively

Schools and colleges for classes 9 to 12 reopened in the rural areas of Pune district on Monday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak started in March. Educational institutions in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic areas continue to be shut till December 13 and November 30 respectively.

School reopen in rural area after Covid-19 pandemic. Students at Shivbhumi High School and Junior College located in Khed Shivapur on Monday.(Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)
School reopen in rural area after Covid-19 pandemic. Students at Shivbhumi High School and Junior College located in Khed Shivapur on Monday.(Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Ganpat More, primary education officer, Pune Zilla Parishad, said, “With the district administration’s permission, some schools reopened on Monday. Attendance for students is not compulsory and as parents are still worried about Covid-19 infection, the attendance report was not overwhelming. Till now, 6,565 teachers and non-teaching staff have undergone Covid-19 tests and 29 tested positive. The tests of the remaining teachers will be completed soon and then, they will be joining school. We will be taking daily review of Covid tests and till December 1, we will try to start 100 per cent schools in Pune district. We hope that the number of students will increase gradually.”

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Anuja Mujumle, a class 9 student, was elated to attend classes at school after almost eight months. “I had been preparing to attend school since Sunday. I arranged my school uniform, packed my bag with subject books and notebooks and most importantly carried my facemask and hand sanitiser with me. My parents had given strict instructions regarding Covid-19 safety as to how to attend the classes. Our teachers too are taking all precautions. So, I feel safe to attend physical classes rather than online ones,” said Anuja, a student of Shivbhumi High School and Junior College located in Khed Shivapur.

Just like Anuja, hundreds of other students from rural parts of the Pune district enthusiastically attended physical classes at their respective schools on Monday.

HT visited some of the schools in the rural parts of Pune on Monday and reviewed the safety arrangements in place by the school administration. While some schools had good attendance, other schools reported low presence of students.

“We have been preparing for physical classes to start since the past one week. We have a staff of 60 teachers and non-teaching members, who underwent the Covid-19 test. Only those with a negative Covid-19 report have been allowed to come to school. Also, for every student it is compulsory to bring their parent’s permission letter to attend the classes. Today before starting classes, we sanitised all the classrooms and in each class only half the number of students, 30, were called in. So, each student will be called every alternate day to attend school classes and we are conducting classes only for English, Science and Mathematics subjects,” said VR Kondhare, principal of Shivbhumi High School and Junior College.

Ganesh Garad, a student of class 10, said, “I used to attend online lectures started by schools since June, but I would hardly understand anything. Also, there were mobile network issues in our village, so I am happy that physical classes have begun. I don’t want to fail in SSC this year and want to secure good marks. For that, classroom teaching is necessary.”

Shivbhumi School conducted classes for students of class 11 and 12 between 8am and 10.30am on Monday following all Covid-19 safety protocols. Students of class 9 and 10 attended classes between 12pm and 2.30pm. On arrival, all students were thermally screened, their oxygen levels were checked, and classrooms were deep sanitised. Social distancing was also maintained in the seating arrangements. Wearing a face mask was compulsory. Parents of some of the students came to the school to check the safety arrangements in place and speak to the teachers regarding their concerns. Sharing of water bottles and food has also been prohibited on the school premises.

Prof SA Kadam, principal of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule High School and Junior College at Shindewadi, Velu village, said, “As it was the first day of schools reopening, the number of students coming to the classes was less. There is still a fear amongst parents to send their child to school and we cannot force anyone. Today, only safety instructions were taught to students. We will begin our subject classes from Tuesday.”

Savita Chavan, a parent who had come to drop her daughter to school, said, “We are happy that schools are restarting, but at the same time there is a constant fear of infection. I have instructed my daughter to follow all the safety instructions in the school and just concentrate on studies.”

On record

- Total number of schools in Pune district – 1,246

- Schools which restarted classes on Monday – 215

- Number of teachers – 11,033

- Non-teaching staff – 4,821

- Total number of students - 2,38,041

- Students who attended classes on Monday – 9,433

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