Schools reopen after winter break, thin attendance on Day 1

After the prolonged winter break this year, schools opened today with very thin attendance at both government and private schools. Many private school administrations reported that attendance was not more than 45-50 per cent, while teachers at government schools had to call parents, requesting them to send their children to school.

Charanjit Kaur, Principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, said the attendance in the school was just 42 per cent today. “We had to call parents to request they send their wards to school as it was open for all the classes. Many students are out of station, and we expect them to return within two to three days,” said the principal.

Schools have opened for all the wings—primary, middle, and senior secondary. At schools that have double shifts, students had to bear the brunt of extreme cold weather as they reached their schools at 7.30 am in the morning amid dense fog. The younger students were the worst affected by the cold. They were unable to open their bags as their hands were too cold and went numb, said one of the teachers, wishing the winter break would be extended until Lohri, at least for the students of primary classes.

Harmit Kaur Waraich, Principal of Nankana Public School, said schools had been opened today for students of classes VI-XII, but tomorrow onwards, it would be opened for all classes. “Full attendance was recorded among students from classes IX-XII due to pre-boards, while among the students of classes VI-VIII, there was 50 per cent attendance. We hope the percentage will improve in the coming days,” said Waraich.

CBSE-affiliated schools were eagerly waiting for the reopening as students have to appear for pre-board exams. Board exams of classes X and XII will begin on February 15, before which schools have to conduct practical exams and pre-boards.

At the same time, the Punjab School Education Board has also released the datesheet for board class examinations, which are starting from February 19. For Class VIII, the exams will be from February 19 to March 7; for Class X, from March 10 to April 4; and for Class XII, from February 19 to April 4.

With the announcement of the datesheet, the teachers have pulled up their socks to complete the syllabus and to avoid last-minute problems and have urged students to attend classes regularly.