BENGALURU: City schools responded in a lukewarm manner to the reopening of schools and PU colleges for Classes 9 to 12 on Monday. While sources from the education department and private schools associations claimed that the average attendance was 50 per cent, a number of schools put off reopening till later this week, or the first week of September.
Schools are still working out how to simultaneously run online and offline classes, as the department has said that online classes need to be in place for students who cannot attend physical classes. As per department statistics, in Bengaluru Rural, 26 per cent of the 15,460 Class 9 students and 33.23 per cent of 15,174 Class 10 students attended offline classes.
In Bengaluru North, 8.50 per cent of 52,489 Class 9 students and 11.52 per cent of 53,619 Class 10 students were present. In Bengaluru South, 14.30 per cent of 76,558 Class 9 students and 16.70 per cent of Class 10 students went to school.
As for Class 12 students, the figures were 32 per cent of 42,006 students in Bengaluru North, 44 per cent of 48,291 students in Bengaluru South, and 78 per cent of 9,605 students in Bengaluru Rural.
Sanjeev Narrain, secretary, RBANM’s Educational Charities, told TNIE that the institute, which caters mostly to low-income students from Ulsoor Lake area, saw 50 per cent attendance. Simultaneous online and offline classes will be tried this week, he said, adding that holding classes in both modes will be a burden on teachers.
Canadian International School will reopen Classes 10 and 12 next week and Classes 9 and 11 in the second week of September, but with shorter schedules, said its managing director Shweta Sastri. The school is planning to hold lessons for Classes 10, 12 and 9, 11 on alternative weeks.
The Smt Kamalabai Educational Institution will open classes in the first week of September. “A buffer of one week is given to parents to get vaccinated. Students whose parents are vaccinated will be allowed to attend offline classes,” said principal Mousumi Basu.
Several students expressed excitement on attending offline classes. “I am seeing my friends after nearly two years. I will come to school again tomorrow,” said Jayasheela, a Class 10 student of BBMP Girls’ High School and PU College, Dispensary Road.
A group of boys studying in Class 11 at a private college in Whitefield were a bit disappointed with offline classes, finding them “boring” with just a few students in class.