Back to school

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Gazal K K, a tenth standard student at Cotton Hill Girls’ High School, the largest girls only school in Asia with 5,000 students, was excited to be back at school. She was seen chatting with another student in the school corridor, wearing her school uniform and a mask. “We feel relieved to come back to school. It has been many months since I met my friends. Even now, I cannot meet all my classmates, as only 10 students are allowed in the class. We have to adjust with the new normal,” says Gazal. 

“It’s been a year of loss. We missed so much fun. There was no class trip, no memories to cherish with my friends. Online class is not fun. Now, we can clear our doubts directly with the teachers. Also, connectivity issues stopped many students from attending online classes,” adds Gazal.  Though there are restrictions, students had a jolly good time on day one of the reopening. Covid-19 guidelines were strictly followed at schools and each classroom had only 10 students — one on each bench. 

Aparna Prabhakar, a plus two student at Cotton Hills Girls’ High School, aired her concerns regarding the examinations which are just a couple of months away. “Teachers are very confident and they are doing their best to help all of us. But we are apprehensive. Today, they just interacted with us and didn’t take any lessons. They conversed with us and made us comfortable. We were told that they may cut down the syllabus and the questionnaire will have more options to choose from,” says Aparna. 

The school authorities started preparation for the reopening over a week back. According to  Sindhu C, a teacher at the school, it is a challenging situation for the teachers. “Online classes cannot match real classroom experience. In every class, there will be different types of students and their learning levels may vary. There will be students who get B grades, who need to be pushed towards an A,” says Sindhu.  

“Many students had connectivity issues and the teachers were constantly in touch with them. Those students were depending on the  KITE Victers channel. Many used to contact us over WhatsApp and clear their doubts. We used to send short videos addressing their doubts. It has been a challenging year for both students and teachers,” says Sindhu, who has been a teacher for the past 22 years.

According to J Rajasree, headmistress of Cotton Hill GHSS, all arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of the students attending classes. “We have set up a thermal scanner at the entrance and temperature of students and teachers will be monitored. Hand sanitisers are available everywhere.  Also, the consent of the parents is mandatory for attending classes,” said Rajasree.

Parents were seen waiting at the gate to pick and drop their children. “The school authorities have taken all necessary measures to ensure their safety. This is going to be the new normal now. I am not scared to send my child to school,” says Bindu G, a parent. 

MAYOR PROMISES fULL SUPPORT
Mayor Arya Rajendran said that the corporation will extend full support to government schools under its jurisdiction for their smooth functioning. “We have launched a special cleaning drive at all schools in the city. All drinking water storage facilities will be cleaned. If schools seek help with disinfection drives, we will surely look into the matter,” 
said the mayor