In the first few days after the reopening of schools, the attendance continues to be around 50% in most schools in Chittoor district, which saw over 2.35 lakh COVID-19 cases so far.
The district continues to register over 200 cases on an average daily while the count has plummeted to double digits in many other districts. The percentage of children in the age group of 5-18 affected by the virus is estimated at 15 since March last year. These factors are said to be influencing many parents who are reluctant to send their children to school.
Many parents in urban areas, it appears, want to wait for some more time before sending their wards to primary schools, hoping that the COVID-19 third wave threat will pass off in a month or so. The attendance, however, is better in rural areas.
The headmaster of a ZP High School in Srikalahasti mandal says: "Our teachers are finding it difficult to control the children in the first to eighth classes. They are concentrating more on implementation of face mask and physical distancing norms among students rather than teaching in the classroom now. However, students of Class IX and X are following the COVID-19 guidelines properly."
Spike in admissions
On the other hand, the Nadu-Nedu Mana Badi project, which led to beautification of over 1,500 government schools in the district, has contributed to a sudden spike in admissions. "In these COVID times, we feel government schools are safe for our students. The facilities are wonderful, particularly for girl children," remarks a woman teacher of a ZP High School in Satyavedu mandal. "I have withdrawn my two daughters from a private school and taken admission for them in my own school," she says.
Tanuja, a mother of two in Puttur, says that the pandemic has been a big lesson to parents. "The monitoring by senior officials prior to the reopening and the renovation works taken up on a war-footing under the Nadu-Nadu scheme have given us the confidence that our children will be safe here. The availability of English medium is also a boon to the students of poor and middle-class families. I have shifted my two sons from a private school to a government school," she says.
District Educational Officer Shriram Purushottam says that COVID vaccination for teachers in both government and private schools has been completed and steps have been initiated to strictly implement COVID guidelines to ensure safety of students.
