Despite upper primary and high schools opening their doors to all students and operating at 100% capacity for all Fridays, attendance remained low, especially in private schools. Many managements had decided not to work full day due to lack of adequate infrastructure.
To allay the apprehensions of children getting infected with COVID-19 in packed classrooms, some schools have decided to conduct classes outside. “We do not have enough classes to maintain social distancing among the students. Open-air classes are one solution,” said the principal of a private school in Bengaluru.
Several other schools also decided to hold classes for only half a day as they felt it would be a challenge to manage the children and ensure that they follow the COVID-appropriate behavior during lunch breaks and short breaks.
Mansoor Ali Khan, a member of the Board of Management at Delhi Public School, said they would start physical classes after the Dussehra holidays. “We are looking at conducting classes in open spaces like playgrounds and basketball courts,” he said.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, also reported low attendance on Friday. “We expect students to come to school after the Dussehra holidays as parents are concerned about the viral flu in the air,” he said, adding that many of its members are conducting classes in school auditoriums, terraces and playgrounds. were planning. “We are running out of time as the academic calendar has been disrupted. So we will conduct full day classes and use all the infrastructure we have. Once the primary classes reopen, it will be challenging for us to maintain physical distance between the students,” he said.
According to principals, most parents are open to the idea of holding classes at outdoor locations. Ranju S, whose son studies in Class VII, said, “Since children are not vaccinated, I will be more confident about sending my child to school if classes are held outside. Only then will I give my consent. I have told the class teacher that my son will not enter the school building,” she said.
BMTC will run 100 more buses
From Monday, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will run an additional 100 buses on various routes for the benefit of students and other commuters. In a press release, BMTC said that it has been gradually increasing the services since the lifting of the lockdown restrictions by the state government. At present, it is operating 4,953 buses. However, most of the AC buses in its fleet are still off the roads.
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