Month on, schools in Gurgaon report better attendance
A month after students of classes IX to XII in Haryana were permitted to visit schools to seek guidance from teachers, officials from the education department and government schools in Gurgaon said attendance has seen a rise as a result of increase in “confidence of parents and students”. However, they maintain that the “output” of students will increase only when physical classes resume.
The Haryana government is yet to announce a decision on resuming classes for students of classes IX-XII, which was permitted by the Centre from October 15.
At the Government Senior Secondary School in Chakkarpur, for instance, the number of students is up from 44 on day 1 to “around 200” as of now. The total strength of students in classes IX-XII at the school is 1,100.
“We had 44 students visiting the school on the first day, with the number increasing to 60 by the second week. It has been increasing every day. Most students coming are from the board classes. In class IX, barely 20 students come daily. Most of these students have doubts in science, maths and English. In class XII too, students from the science stream are coming more,” said principal Anjana Dhingra.
“There has not been any situation yet of any teacher or student having to be sent back because of Covid symptoms. The confidence of parents and students is increasing daily; we expect the numbers will continue to rise in the coming days,” she said.
At the Government Senior Secondary School in Nathupur, principal Manju Ahlawat said “35-45” of the 650 students in the higher classes are coming to consult teachers daily: “The number is low but it is higher than what it was in the initial days… Our online classes are also continuing simultaneously.”
According to data compiled by the education department, attendance on the first two days of schools reopening itself went up from 4 per cent on September 21 to 6 per cent on September 22.
The highest attendance was among students of class X on both days, with 6 per cent visiting schools on day 1 and 8 per cent on day 2. While 3 per cent of students of class XI sought guidance on both days, the figure increased from 4 per cent to 5 per cent for students of class XI and from 5 per cent to 8 per cent for students of class XII. Officials from the education department, however, said no data has been compiled of attendance in the days that have followed.
“Compared to before, the number of students who are coming has increased. We are continuing to make efforts from our end to encourage students to come forward. We have to step up efforts in this direction now as there is no guarantee when this pandemic will end, and there is very little time left for the academic year to finish and exams to commence,” said Deputy District Education Officer, Kalpana Singh.
She said the real difference to the “output” of students will be made only when physical classes resume: “Children who were in the habit of learning in the classroom are having a problem keeping up in online classes. There are 10-15% who are doing well, but the others are facing issues. In a classroom, we can ensure the student focuses on the lesson and there is some growth.”
Month on, schools in Gurgaon report better attendance
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