Bengaluru: CBSE, ICSE schools reopen; attendance remains poor

BENGALURU: On the campus of Delhi Public School-North, there are some signs of life on Monday morning. Cabs come in, drop students and leave. The students are seated far apart, waving at each other and gleaming as they see their friends again.
An announcement is made every now and then, reminding students of the Covid protocol. The school had 155 students, of its total combined strength of 807 in class 10 and 12.The school is finally open after 10 months, but not to its full life.
While the government had given the nod to reopen campuses for classes 10 and 12 from January 1, many private schools in the city had their Christmas break till January 4 and were expected to reopen on Monday. Several schools did not reopen their physical classrooms and continued with online classes. They included Bethany High, Vibgyor Group of schools, St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Gear International, some branches of Kendriya Vidyalayas.
Those who reopened had different experiences to narrate. Many received cold response. With online classes in full swing, schools say it’s not surprising that there were not many parents who want to send children to school.
Transportation, fear deterrents, say schools
In Deens Academy, only five Iof the 129 students came to the campus to write preboards, while others took it online. “It was exciting to get back to my normal schedule of waking up at 5.30am, finishing household chores and getting to campus by 7.30am. But students did not turn up in good numbers. Even those who said they would report to school did not. Most said it was the fear of the new strain,” said Tina Sebastian, economics teacher at Deens.
Transportation, some schools said, could be a deterrent. “At a home where both parents are working, it’s not feasible for them to pick up and drop students every day. Public transport is a big ‘no’ for parents,” said the principal of a school in Hebbal.
At some other schools, attendance was overwhelming. Brigade School, Malleswaram, had 100% attendance. Presidency South had 50% attendance. “We had 90% students back on campus. Some car-pooled and some came by bicycle,” said J Bhuvaneswari, principal, Presidency South. Schools provided staggered timings for students. More entrances were made to avoid crowding. With the SOP mandating Covid tests for teachers, schools have started conducting them on campuses.