Bright start: Schools in DK greet students with aarti and flowers

Mangaluru: Schools in Dakshina Kannada greeted students on Monday with flowers, arati, gifts, and music as they began the new academic year on a high note.
Students who will resume normal academic year after a two-year gap due to the pandemic were greeted warmly on all campuses. In Belthangady taluk students are greeted with arati at Punjalkatte school, where MLA Harish Poonja was present.
Virupaksha HN, BEO, Belthangady, said that on the first day, instead of going straight to academics, the schools began the 'Male Billu' programme, which will last two weeks. Following that, the 'Kalika Chetarike' or learning recovery programme for students in grades one through nine will begin.
Schools in Dakshina Kannada were festooned with bunting and students were greeted with flowers and gifts in many schools by locals, school management and teachers.
To commemorate the start of the academic year, students were served a sweet dish. According to K Sudhakar, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada, school attendance was good and is expected to rise in the coming days. He also stated that textbooks obtained through the Book Bank initiative were distributed to students. The district has received 40-50% supply of textbooks. It will take some time to get a full supply.