Unlike other Mondays in the previous weeks, October 25 was a bit different for primary school children, teachers as well as parents in Karnataka. The state finally opened schools for children studying in Classes 1 to 5 after 18 months. Last year, the schools were forced to shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. And the children were promoted to the next class based on the marks scored in the previous academic year. From then onwards, though the schools reopened, it was only for high school students and colleges.
While some parents were happy to send their children to school and continue their learning, others were anxious about kids coming in contact with the virus. Sangeetha D, a parent said, "My daughter is studying in Class 5 in a private school. I am a bit scared about sending my child back to school. However, we have made it compulsory for her to wear a mask and also handed over a sanitiser. We will see how the first day in school goes. If there are any symptoms detected in our kids, then we will have to stop them from attending offline classes. It would have been better if the children had been given vaccination and then sent to schools."
Deva Muthuvel, another parent said, "My daughter is in Class 4 and we are happy that our child is going back to school. Though there are online classes, these kids switched off the camera and mute themselves only to watch TV, play games and it was a waste of time. Now that the offline classes are open, we also hope that the school maintains cleanliness and monitor students' health carefully."
Lakshmi M, whose son is studying in Class 3 in the BBMP Government school in RT Nagar, said, "Today, when I went to drop my son at his school, there was sanitiser provided and the temperature was being checked. We hope the school does it on almost all the days and not just on the first day. Though there is a fear among us that COVID still exists, the children's future is important. With no schools for almost two years, my child is lagging in terms of learning and academics. With more and more interaction with his friends and teachers, we hope that the quality of learning and understanding improves."
What a way to welcome!
Meanwhile, teachers are happy and excited about welcoming kids back to school. Kalarava Shikshakara Seva Balaga which is a team of 10 government school teachers in Koppal district has spent money from their own pocket to improve the school infrastructure by painting the walls, building a school compound, bringing new books and developing a library in the school premises itself. Hanumanthappa Kuri, a cluster resource person in Koppal, "We have selected a bunch of 20 primary schools and paint them each school on the last Sunday of every month. This is all done just to welcome children back to school. We will require a total of Rs 6 lakh to purchase paint for our schools. So far, we have painted over five schools and another 15 are pending to be painted."
Harish Kamble, who works as a primary school teacher at Dr Ambedkar Memorial Public School, says, "We didn't start classes for primary school kids all of a sudden. We ensured that we conducted a meeting with parents on the first day of reopening to inform them about the measures we are taking at school to keep their kids safe. The classes will begin for primary school from tomorrow. Different schools have taken different steps before they reopen the schools"
