67% in Class XII, 65% in X attend schools
In an encouraging turn for secondary education post the lockdown and complete shutdown of physical conduct of schools for almost a year, the Central Government-run flagship Kendriya Vidyalayas has noted that an average of 42 per cent of students of Class IX, 65 per cent of Class X, 48 per cent of Class XI, and 67 per cent of Class XII are back to schools to attend face to face classes.
The data has been compiled from all Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across India. The Ministry of Education (MoE) believes these figures are dynamic and trends indicate a consistent increase every day.
“Face-to-face classes for Classes 1 to VIII have also been started in some KVs where State Governments have permitted to open schools for junior grades,” said a senior MoE official. When in school, the wearing of masks have been made compulsory for students, teachers and staff, besides following a strict hand hygiene routine, and sitting six feet apart in classrooms.
Similarly, during this month end the Centre and State Governments across the country have received numbers of consent from other chain of schools, (private and public) to bring back the students to the classroom benches.
“Regular contact with parents and guardians is being established by the schools in case of any apprehension. Students are being permitted to attend classes with the prior consent of their guardians,” said a Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) official.
An Education Ministry official said the SOPs issued by the State and Central Governments are being followed completely in view of the pandemic.
“All KVs have been clearly advised to follow staggered timings for the students of various classes and ensure adequate safety measures, including maintenance of proper physical distancing in the classrooms. However, for students who are not attending school, the provision of online classes is also there. Students are also in touch with their teachers through various digital platforms,” explained the official.
When KVs started opening up from October onward in a phased manner, the attendance of both the teachers and students was minimal. But things started improving when Covid cases began to decline across the country.
The full strength of the boarding chain of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya has been allowed, given the annual exams schedules beginning the third week of February. The annual board examinations of Class X and XII are already scheduled for May-June 2021 and most likely these will be conducted by all the means in offline mode.
The Government schools run by Delhi Government have started full normal days while private and public schools are scheduled to open to maximum strength in consultation with their respective Parent Teachers Associations.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has also permitted schools to open above Class VIII from this week and in full strength from Class VI onwards from March first week.
Schools across the country have been closed since mid-March 2020, even before the coronavirus lockdown was imposed. The Education Ministry issued guidelines for their reopening of schools last October but the school administrations and State Government were apprehensive as corona cases were still not on a decline. However during the last two months schools of various States as per Home Ministry SOPs started cautiously and the response has been enthusiastic, as per reports from various States received by the Centre.
“The Education and Home Ministries have categorically said that students will not be forced to attend classes in school. It must depend entirely on parental consent,” the Ministry’s guidelines for reopening of school within States said.
According to the Education Ministry’s guidelines, for at least two to three weeks after reopening, schools will not conduct any assessment. Even when they do, the pen-and-paper text format will be discouraged for students across all grades to “ensure emotional well-being of the students”.