KOCHI: Gouthami S Nath, a Class XI student at a girl’s school in the state, says, “This is my new school. I was looking forward to coming here so that I could catch up on my learning as well as meet my new friends and teachers. Hence, I was happy that offline classes have finally resumed.”
However, Gouthami highlights that things haven’t turned out as per her expectations. She says, “Though classes are being held in compliance with the Covid protocol with classrooms being sanitised at regular intervals and only two students allowed to sit on a bench, I haven’t been able to connect with my new friends. It is only during the ten-minute break that I get to talk to my classmates. I hope that at least next year, I will get an opportunity to mingle with them.”
It has been two months since schools reopened in the state and finally, students can step into their classrooms. In the initial months, only some parents sent their children to school due to the threat of the pandemic. However, attendance has improved in many schools now and more students have started getting back to normal classes.
Even though many parents were hesitant at first to send their children to school due to the apprehensions about how well their children will be able to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour in school, they are now adapting to the new normal. Savitha K, the mother of a Class VIII student, says, “I am happy to see my children going back to school. They weren’t able to cope with online classes.
However, after going back to school, they understand the lessons better.” Some parents still prefer their wards to continue attending online classes considering the threat of the new Omicron variant of Covid. “Although the class strength is 48, only seven students in my son’s class are currently reaching school. I enquired with the parents of these students and they said that the children don’t have any issues as all precautionary measures have been taken. However, I am continuing with online classes until there is a specific direction from the school authorities making attending offline classes mandatory,” says Parvathy S S, mother of a Class IV student.
Dean and principal of Global Public School, Kochi, Sreekumar Kartha says, “Though we had apprehensions about how we would make students follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, we didn’t face any problem. The students are aware of the situation and are taking necessary safety measures. We are presently following a hybrid mode of learning -- with classes being held both online and offline. Though the state faces the Omicron scare, it hasn’t reflected on the attendance of students coming to school.”
Two months into school reopening, students who have been attending classes offline and their parents have adapted well to the new normal. Only complaint students have is they don’t get enough time to mingle with classmates