As the new academic year for Classes I to X began from Monday, June 13, the schools in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, welcomed the students warmly. The headmasters of most of the government schools in the city distributed sweets, bouquets and even gifts among the students to welcome them on the first day. Books and notes for the first term were given to the students as well. The admission for Classes I to IV also began in the government schools from June 13.
On the first day, District collector GS Sameeran inspected the Corporation Primary School at Ramakrishnapuram, Coimbatore, and interacted with the children during the inaugural function at school. Meanwhile, Chief Educational Officer N Geetha visited the Seeranaickenpalayam School in the city and inspected the school maintenance works and the distribution of books, as reported by ENS.
Ramachettipalayam Panchayat Union Primary School Headmistress G Kousalya said, "We have admitted as many as 33 students in Class I on the first day. Last year, 90 students were admitted to Class I. We expect that nearly 120 students would join this year as we are doing canvas about admission in the surrounding areas by explaining school facilities."
P Krishnamoorthy, a parent who admitted his son to Class I in a private school, said, "Due to the impact of COVID-19, children lost the quality of education for last two years. We expect that COVID-19 issues should not be there in the future," as reported by ENS. Another parent, K Praveenkumar, stated, "Earlier, we decided to send my son to a private school. Recently, we changed our decision after knowing about 7.5 horizontal reservations and government job priority for government school students. So, I admitted him to a nearby primary school."
However, the admission and the commencement of classes were seen to hit roadblocks as well. The School Education Department of the state revealed that only 70-80% of the students attended school on the first day in Coimbatore. The fact that many students had yet to return to the city after the summer vacations might be the reason for this, according to them.
A Panchayat Union Primary School Headmaster said, "Except for Class I, the student strength is 162 from Classes II to V. But only 123 students came to the school on Monday. Our teachers are checking the remaining students' statuses to bring back them to the schools." Speaking about the issue, Chief Educational Officer N Geetha said, "Staff collects first-day absentees' details from the government schools. The step is being taken to bring back students to school again," as reported by ENS.
