Odisha: Thermal guns, sanitisers greet Class XI students

BHUBANESWAR: The higher secondary schools on Thursday welcomed students of Class XI with thermal guns and sanitisers on the first day of reopening after the second wave of Covid hit home.
The excitement among the students was palpable as they joined their respective new institutes after Class X. However, many schools struggled to maintain social distance as parents and guardians accompanied their wards for the induction sessions.
School and mass education minister Sami Ranjan Dash advised students, who were feeling unwell, to stay home. "We have received positive feedback from different schools. The attendance of students was good on the first day as they had been eagerly waiting to return to school after a gap of 18 months. The schools are following the standard operating procedures. Covid has not gone away, so equal importance is being given to safety and studies. Monitoring teams have been formed to check the health of both the students and teachers. Those feeling unwell need not come to school and can attend online/Youtube classes from home."
On the first day, the freshers were acquainted with the history of the institution, the rules and regulations, career opportunities available for each stream, new syllabus, e-books and the continuous evaluation system.
Unlike students of other boards, all those who passed their Class X from the state-run high schools will join new higher secondary schools for Plus II. "There is a mixed feeling of excitement, fear and nervousness," Srikant Sekhar Sahu, a student of BJB Higher Secondary School, here, said.
There was a rush near the display board as students gathered to find out about the rooms allotted to them for the induction session. The college authorities struggled to maintain social distance among the students. Some parents expressed their displeasure over the arrangements and violation of the Covid guidelines.