As schools reopen, board classes find attendance in Ahmedabad

In Gujarat, where schools reopened for Classes 9 onwards on July 26, board exam pressure is driving students back to the classroom with attendance higher in Classes 10 and 12. In tiny numbers, though. “We have been trying to convince the parents of our classmates to allow them to come to school. The whole environment and mood of learning is different and better in the classroom,” says Pooja Khubchandani, a Class 10 student of Sakar English School, Ahmedabad. She is one of the four students from the 50 in her section attending offline classes.

For teachers this means double the effort — teaching online and offline, simultaneously. But chemistry teacher Angadjit Singh Suri is at it passionately, using a digital board that displays his notes on his laptop screen that is visible to both the students present in his class and in his Zoom room.

“It is quite difficult for teachers but they have risen to the challenge,” says Smita Das, principal of Sakar English School. “We’d want to see more students in the classroom but the apprehension of parents and the lack of vaccination are real concerns. We have reduced the number of classes to four, of 45 minutes each, since online classes have also meant additional academic and administrative work for teachers.”

Now, with the state government announcing that offline classes can resume for Classes 6 to 8, Das finds students in this category more willing to come to school. As does Caesar D'Silva, principal, Global Indian International School (GIIS). During a recent registration process, parents of 50 out of 509 students confirmed that their children would return to the classroom.

“Without children, school is just a building. The situation is getting better with a gradual rise in the number of students attending offline classes,” says D’Silva. “However, a large number of students have adapted to online as the new normal. We have all the amenities, keeping the safety and hygiene of students in mind and follow all the SoPs. We are trying our best to encourage students and parents to attend offline classes.”

At GIIS, currently only 84 out of 300 students in Classes 9 to 12 are coming to school — a majority from Classes 10 and 12.

To assist teachers to engage with both offline and online students, schools have also been investing in infrastructure. For instance, at Podar International School, gadgets like visualisers, projectors and computers have been installed in almost every classroom and broadband bandwidth has been increased. “Parents are still apprehensive, even though students enjoy and learn better in offline mode. Teachers, too, like it better when there are students present in the classroom,” says Sreenarayanan PC, principal of Podar International School, Ahmedabad.

Of the roughly 1,000-plus students in Classes 9 to 12, the school has seen a turnout of 18-30 per cent, with board exams drawing a higher share of students.