MUMBAI: As attendance in educational institutions continues to be voluntary, schools are worried about the poor response from students to physical classes as they reopen post-Diwali vacation on Monday.
A few schools that reopened last week (schools had the choice to reopen from November 11 to 22) reported fewer students than when they started physical classes on October 4.
As of now, only class 8-12 students are allowed offline schooling in the city, provided there is parental consent. The rest have to learn online. In rural Maharashtra, physical schools are permitted from Class 5 to 12, with parental consent.
School heads have urged the state to revisit its Covid-19 protocols and make in-person learning compulsory. Schools have been ringing up parents to know if they have changed their minds and want to send children to schools.
The majority of schools said that if given an option, parents still want to continue with online classes.
“Students who had parental consent to attend physical schools are also reluctant to be in classrooms post-Diwali. Our physical attendance dropped compared to when we first reopened in October,” said the principal of a Chembur school that began classes from November 11.
While educators are urging the state to reopen all classes, they also want the government to make attendance mandatory.
Class X students are more regular in attending schools, compared to eighth and ninth standards.
“The state should make attendance in higher classes compulsory. The parental consent clause can stay for students from lower classes,” said a principal from a Santacruz school.
A group of parents from the city have written an open letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to reopen physical schools for all classes.
They have pointed out that children are going to malls and parties.
The state school and health departments have given the nod to reopen all schools after consultations with the state paediatric task force.