PUDUCHERRY: A warm welcome greeted students in the Union territory as they returned to school after more than six months, but with no school bus facility, they were forced to travel in overcrowded public buses on footboards and hanging on railings.
Though no attendance was taken, roughly 75 to 80 per cent of students attended schools on an opening day. With classes being conducted on alternate days, classes one, three, five and seven opened on Monday, while classes two, four, six and eight will reopen on Tuesday.
Most schools greeted students with flowers, chocolates and garlands as they entered. They also received pencils, pens and notebooks donated by philanthropists. Some schools were decorated with balloons. Those who came without masks were provided them.
In Colakara Rangasamy Naikar Government High School at Lawspet, students were given a traditional 'Melathalam' welcome accompanied by the beating of drums and the distribution of sweets.
With buses overcrowded, some students were seen travelling on footboards and hanging on the railings of windows on the sides and behind the bus. A conductor stopped a bus after seeing students travel in an unsafe way, but only those hanging on the side railings got down.
Education Minister A Namassivayam had said that bus facilities would be made available soon, with a tender being initiated for their operation.