The first day in school for junior students was spent to familiarise them with habits they have forgotten in the last two years and help them transition into the campus life through co-curricular activities.
The state government on Monday allowed schools to reopen for students from the pre-primary level to Class VII from Wednesday. Teachers said they need to make the comeback “gradual and easy” for the children.
The Telegraph takes stock of what schools did and how students responded.
Attendance
The attendance in many schools was 80 to 90 per cent. School heads said that compared with seniors, junior students were more keen to return to school.
The seniors get used to a routine and take more time to get out of it. Teachers and parents found it difficult to wean many of them from the habit of attending classes, online, from the comfort of the home.
For juniors, school is their only space for socialising, unlike seniors who have an opportunity to meet friends outside.
“Little children cannot go on their own and are always accompanied by parents unless they are in school,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.
Parental anxiety
A section of parents is not comfortable sending their children to school amid the pandemic.
“We are continuing with online classes because we have to give parents time so they feel confident to send their children to school. There is a fear of infection and parents are waiting for feedback from others as to what the arrangements in school are,” said Sunita Sen, principal of The BSS School, which called Class V students to the campus on Wednesday.
Parents who sent children to school were seen waiting outside gates.
“He has come to school after so many months. If he feels uncomfortable, I should be here to soothe him,” said the mother of a Class III student of Sanskrit Collegiate School.
Relaxed approach
Class IV students of The Heritage School were allowed to climb an artificial rock wall on the campus. Students of classes I and III of Sanskrit Collegiate School watched a comic strip from Narayan Debnath’s Bantul, The Great.
“We arranged the screening so that the students are able to transition from the couch to the bench in a joyful and stress-free manner,” said Debabrata Mukherjee, headmaster of Sanskrit Collegiate School.
Acclimatisation
Students have to be gradually introduced to school habits and routine, something many have forgotten and many have never had a chance to experience.
From standing in a queue to following a queue to go to respective classrooms, everything has to be taught anew.
“We have to help them adjust to school life. For so long their classmates have been faces on the screen. In school, they will start knowing each other,” said Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.