Attendance on rise, but concepts out of mind

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 9

On the one hand, the government schools have started witnessing rise in attendance of students. Parents who had been waiting for schools to reopen were happy and content that their wards were finally attending regular classes. On the other, teachers and principals believe that a lot has changed in the last one-and-a-half years and students have forgotten several things. They said it would take some time to bring them back on track.

Teachers said though students were enjoying coming to school, extra efforts were needed to ensure they study hard and cover the syllabus.

Staying indoors during Covid-19’s wave after wave has made kids careless, irritated and lethargic. Continously sitting online has further taken a toll on students’ attitude.

At Government Senior Secondary School, Alampur Bakka, 300 students out of 380 attend school daily.

Sukhdev Lal, principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Alampur Bakka, said students have forgotten several things. “We need to bring them back to the level where they were before the pandemic hit,” he said.

Lal said, “Students hardly write and have forgotten basic concepts. It’s very important for schools to run continuously. Else, it will become very difficult for them and us.”

At Government Middle School, Mundi Cholian, 118 students were present today out of 132.

Kulwinder Singh, head teacher, Government Middle School, Mundi Cholian, also shared the same concern. “Students are happy to attend regular classes, but getting everything back to normal is going to be a big task. It’s like teaching new comers. Students were doing everything online till now. It will definitely take sometime. We need to clear certain concepts at the earliest,” he said.

As students were getting promoted to next classes without appearing for exams, teachers said bright students, who were earlier conscious of their grades, hardly cared anymore.