Karnataka: School campuses come alive as students return in numbers

MYSURU/MANGALURU/ HUBBALLI/BELAGAVI: Students across Karnataka were thrilled to see their friends and teachers on Friday as schools reopened for grades 10 and 12 after a nine-month gap. As part of Covid-19 precautions, they wore masks, followed social distancing and washed hands frequently.
Classes were held for limited hours and with a limited number of students.Still, campuses were buzzing with energy after months of quiet. Schools went the extra mile to make students feel safe and welcome, organising skits, performing artis, writing positive messages and offering plenty of encouragement.
“I am really excited to be back in school. At one point, I had wondered whether I would see my classmates and teachers on the campus again,” said Ananya, a class 10 student in Raichur. Geeta, a class 10 student of Vidyaranya High School in Dharwad, is relieved that on-campus learning has resumed. “I was fed up with online classes. I was missing actual classroom studies and, of course, my teachers and friends,” she said.
II PU science student Ashok Kumar echoed the sentiment, saying he found the online maths class difficult to grasp. “It’s good that on-campus classes have begun. We have to work hard now,” he said.
Schools strictly enforced health-safety guidelines, taking the temperature of everyone before granting entry and allowing only one or two students per bench.
The turnout for class 10, II PU and the Vidyagama programme (for grades 6 to 9) was good in most districts. In Belagavi and Chikkodi, some schools cut cakes and offered roses to children. The attendance was nearly 75 per cent. Chikkodi deputy director of public instruction Gajanana Mannikeri said that parents happily sent their kids to schools. In Gadag, the attendance was up to 80 per cent.
Industries minister Jagadish Shettar, who oversees Dharwad district, greeted students of St Michael. Hubballi city BEO Shrishail Karikatti said that most schools there reported 40 to 50 per cent attendance, while colleges reported 60 to 70 per cent attendance In Kalyana-Karnataka region, schools saw about 60 per cent turnout, according to Nalin Atul, the additional commissioner of public instruction.
Koppal district was an exception as schools saw only 10 per cent attendance. This is mainly because hostels and residential schools are yet to reopen. In Mysuru district, students turned up in large numbers for Vidyagama and SSLC sessions, but not for II PU.
Teachers of Mysuru taluk’s Varakodu Government Higher Primary School, where 130 students attended Vidyagama sessions, spent their own money to create awareness about Covid-19.
Schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada district reported about 66 per cent attendance. Except residential educational institutions, all 585 schools, including private ones, reopened. In Uttara Kannada, about 50 per cent of SSLC and II PU students went to their campuses.
Many schools expect the turnout for II PU to improve from Monday.