Upper primary classes in Karnataka reopened on Monday after a span of 11 months. As many as 42.91% of the students attended classes on Monday. Many students in upper primary classes (classes six to eight) were already coming to school to attend classes under the Vidyagama programme.
The lowest attendance was reported in Vijayapura district (22.21%) while the highest was in Dakshina Kannada district with 68.24%.
In Bengaluru Urban and a few districts adjoining the Kerala border, regular classes for six and seven were not held. Only class eight students attended regular classes. However, in these places, Vidyagama was held for classes six and seven.
Many private schools, however, did not resume upper primary classes as majority of the parents did not provide consent for their children to attend classes. These schools have chosen to continue online classes for this academic year.
Many school managements faced challenges in conducting classes by maintaining physical distance as they did not have adequate classrooms. Due to this, many schools conducted classes in playgrounds, corridors, staff rooms and auditoriums. The Department of Primary and Secondary Education has told government schools to make use of all available space to ensure that physical distance is maintained.
Pooja S., a class eight student in Bengaluru who attended classes on Monday, said, “We had been attending classes for several weeks. But instead of half-day, we had a full-day class. We are happy to have classes for the full day, as we will be able to complete portions faster.”
The attendance for classes nine was 45.31% and for class 10 was 50.05%. The classes began in a phased manner on January 1.
Different stakeholders and academics have urged the Karnataka government to reopen lower primary classes at the earliest as they feel that students are unable to comprehend lessons online and many students do not have access to gadgets to attend online classes.
