Schools partially reopen in Thiruvananthapuram after 9 months

Schools in Thiruvananthapuram have partially reopened on Friday, after a gap of almost nine months. Classes for 10th and 12th Standard students have resumed along with the strict implementation of COVID-19 protocols.

There has been a standstill across the nation due to COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, even school students had to stay at home for several months. The reopening of schools will provide relief to Thiruvananthapuram students as they will be able to resume their studies.

"I am feeling very good because offline classes are better than an online one. There were network issues and conducting 4-5 online classes was not possible," a student named Juhi Paswan said.

Initially, only class 10th and 12th students are allowed to attend schools and they have to come with the consent letters of their parents. Classrooms have been sanitised prior to reopening.

Only one student is allowed on one bench. Teachers have divided the students into four groups and only 10 are allowed to attend class at a time. Each floor has also been equipped with the sanitisers.

"We are giving revisions and practical (classes) to students' here," said Vahida Salim, a high school teacher of Cotton Hill Government Higher Secondary School. There were many students who were unable to attend online classes due to lack of resources. They will benefit from the reopening of schools and will be able to complete their syllabus on time.

Students have been advised not to use public transport to commute to their school. School staff also organised counselling sessions for them so they can better deal with stress.