“It’s a good start, I think,” said the state’s Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, S Suresh Kumar.
Karnataka Minister of Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said that on the first day of schools reopening, students in class 10 had an average attendance of 41%, while the number was 32.56% for second-year students of the PUC (class 12).
Students in classes 10 and 12 returned to classrooms on Friday, when schools and pre-university colleges reopened in Karnataka after a nine-month hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak. In some schools, students from classes 6-9 came to campuses for the Vidyagama program, which allows for continuous schooling.
The minister told reporters that nearly 3.8 lakhs of students returned to class 10 in 16,850 secondary schools, while the number was 78,794 for students in class 12 in 5,492 universities.
“I was very happy today after seeing the students return to their classes,” said Suresh Kumar.
“About 40% of the attendance for class 10 and 32.56% for the PUC (class 12) is not bad. It’s a good start that we have made, I think,” he said, adding that attendance in class 10-12 is likely to pick up the pace as of Monday.
The minister further said that the state education department will set up several surveillance squads, to verify if the institutes adhere to the COVID-19 rules.
“Online classes will continue for as long as parents wish. No application will be imposed on any parent or student at any given time.”
TNM had previously reported (add link) on actions taken in state schools prior to reopening. Teachers were forced to undergo COVID-19 tests, students had their temperatures checked, and classes were staggered as a precaution.
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