CHENNAI: For the first time in 19 months, 10-year-old Ranjith enthusiastically packed his school bag, wore a neatly-pressed uniform, and rushed to school on Monday. However, it was his mother who was happier. Not only because she got some free time but also now she could rejoin work. Shutting down schools affected thousands of working parents too as they had to leave their jobs to take care of their children.
“My husband is an auto driver and I used to work as a saleswoman at a garment store nearby. As there was nobody to look after our son, I had to leave my job. Since then, we have been struggling to eat three meals a day. I can now finally start searching for jobs,” said Ranjith’s mom, P Lakshmi from Vadapalani.
Meanwhile, at most of the schools, students were welcomed with sweets. While many private institutions only called students from classes 6-8, some of them did not open at all. Considering the stress and gap in learning most of the students faced since last year, teachers said they would first interact with them and then proceed with the classes. “A few students are even confused with the basics. So, we will begin with the basics and then start with important topics. Having a strong foundation is crucial for children of classes 1-5,” said K Rathnamala, a teacher at a private school in Velachery.
Also, the reopening of schools for classes 1 to 8 worsened the staff and space shortage that corporation schools had been struggling with since resuming classes 9-12. A corporation school headmaster said that there is a shortage of teachers in some schools in north Chennai. To combat this, boys have been asked to come to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while girls have been asked to come on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
“Except for classes 10 and 12, we are following a rotation system so we don’t fall short of staff and space,” he added. Gulam SK, State Headquarters Secretary of the Tamil Nadu PG Teachers Association, said in many schools, class-wise rotations are followed. “For example, we’ve marked two days a week for class 6, and two days for class 7 and so on. This is a temporary arrangement and we’ll see if there are better ways to accommodate students,” he said. On an average, 76% attendance recorded at government schools for the classes 1 to 8 across the State on Monday.
74% attendance recorded by the city corporation schools on Monday
91% the highest attendance recorded in class 1
(With inputs from Nirupama Viswanathan)