A fortnight into resumption of schools, in-person attendance in classes has dwindled.
Several schools that had reported attendance between 70 and 90 per cent in the first few days of resumption, said it had fallen to between 20 and 60 per cent now.
Schools across Bengal, which had shut down in March last year as a precaution against Covid, reopened for students of Classes IX to XII on February 12 following a nod from the state government.
Many parents are not keen to send their children to school and many students, too, prefer the online mode.
Some parents said it was almost the end of the academic session and there was no need to send the children to school. The spike in Covid cases in some states has also made them apprehensive.
St James’ School wrote to parents of Class X and XII students on Wednesday seeking their consent for their children’s return to the campus.
Several other schools said they would seek consent after preparing a detailed note on the steps taken to ensure a safe environment on their campuses. Besides these measures, the schools will also have to adhere to government guidelines.
Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee had on Tuesday said schools would reopen for in-person classes from February 12 for students of Classes IX to XII.
A number of schools are awaiting the government notification before announcing their preparedness to parents.
A number of schools said they were ready to resume in-person instructions for half the students of a class, while the other half can continue attending online sessions from home.
The principals of several schools said they would seek consent from parents before calling the children back to the campus.
Schools said online classes and blended learning would have to continue for some time even for the students of Classes IX to XII.
“We have to see what percentage of students will be allowed in the school. We will have to work out a schedule with the teachers so that one group of students attend classes in school and the other group attend online classes,” said Terence Ireland, the principal of St James’ School.
ICSE content on Covid protocol The board has asked schools to spread awareness on how to wear masks, wash hands and maintain distance among each other
The ICSE council has asked schools to spread awareness on how to wear masks, wash hands and maintain distance among each other as a precaution against Covid-19.
The Union education ministry has created an online link containing posters, wall paintings and social media creatives on the subject and sent it to all school heads, asking them to share the link with students, parents and teachers.
Several school heads said the move was aimed at familiarising students with Covid-safety norms ahead of possible resumption of in-person classes. Students have to be prepared well in advance on how to conduct themselves in the presence of friends, whom they will meet almost after a year, once campuses reopen.
Several schools are either waiting for further clarity before announcing the dates of their pre-board exams or reconsidering the dates if they had already been announced in the light of the announcement by the ICSE council that the board exams for Classes X and XII will be pen-and-paper and there has to be two months of classes on the campus before the boards.
Several school heads said that they would prefer to have the rehearsals in school if they get the go-ahead from the state government and parents agree to send their children to school.
They agreed that if the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has said that the boards will be in the pen-and-paper format, the rehearsals should be conducted the same way.