West Bengal: Children rejoice as primary, upper primary schools open

Primary and upper primary schools across West Bengal reopened on Wednesday after a gap of almost two years as the Covid-19 cases in the state dropped significantly in the past few days, prompting the state government to order the reopening of the physical classes for all students. The students were, however, made to follow the Covid-19 guidelines.

Physical classes for the students of classes 8 to 12 had already begun in the state, while the primary and upper primary sections continued in the online mode. “It feels so good to return to the school and meet my friends after two years. Teachers, however, told us how important it is to use masks and sanitisers and follow the Covid guidelines,” said Ankita Sharma, a class 5 student at St Joseph and Mary’s School in New Alipore.

Ruma Pal, mother of Roshni Pal, a class 3 student at Sree Sarada Ashrama Balika Vidyalaya, said, “Children learn a lot from face-to-face interaction, especially when the exams are near.”

According to an official of the school education department, almost all government schools recorded around 80 per cent attendance on Wednesday.

In Kolkata, physical classes took place in around 2,000 schools, including private schools. However, a few private schools have decided to resume physical classes for all students later on.

Meanwhile, West Bengal on Wednesday logged 439 new Covid-19 cases, including 95 in North 24 Parganas.

In the past 24 hours, the state also saw 1,360 recoveries and 18 deaths, including three each from North 24 Parganas and Kolkata, resulting in a drop in active cases by 939 to 9,691.