Schools reopen: 32% students from state attended classes
MUMBAI: More than 1.2 million or 32% students from Class 5 to 8 attended schools across the state on the first day after schools reopened on January 27, according to a report shared by the state education department. On Wednesday, more than 34,000 schools in the state, which is about 86% of the total schools for Class 5 to 8, reopened after a gap of 10 months following a lockdown put in place in March 2020 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the standard operating procedures (SOPS) laid down by the education department, 50% students in these schools were asked to attend on a rotational basis.
Districts such as Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia and Satara recorded good attendance with 40%-65% students present on the first day. Thane rural saw a poor turnout with only 9.5% students.
Balu Bhoyar, principal of Karamveer Vidyalaya in Chandrapur, said parents were more willing to send their children to school now as opposed to that in November. “We are seeing a gradual increase in attendance and it is a good sign. As more students are coming in, we are now making provisions to divide them into groups to follow social distancing norms,” he added.
As part of SOPS, teachers and non-teaching staff had to undergo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for Covid-19. Of the 146,000 teachers and staff members tested, 714 were positive for the virus and will not be able to attend school for the next few days.
While several schools in the state reopened for students of Class 9 to 12 from November 23, those for Class 5 to 8 in places other than Mumbai, Thane city and Navi Mumbai corporation areas reopened on Wednesday.