Ludhiana: Schools reopened after winter vacation, attendance was low on the first day

Ludhiana: Schools opened today after a long winter break this year, but student attendance was very low in both government and private schools. Many private school administrations reported that student attendance did not exceed 45-50 per cent, while government school teachers had to call parents and request them to send children to school. Charanjit Kaur, principal of Government Senior Secondary School on Cemetery Road, said that the student attendance in the school was only 42 per cent today. “We had to call parents and request them to send their children to school, as the school was open for all classes. Many students are out of town and we hope they will return within two to three days,” the principal said. Schools have opened for all wings – primary, middle and senior secondary. In schools that have double shifts, students had to face extreme cold as they reached their schools at 7.30 am amid dense fog. The younger students were the worst affected by the cold.

A teacher said that they were not able to open their bags as their hands were very cold and had become numb. He said that winter vacation for students of at least primary classes should be extended till Lohri. Harmeet Kaur Waraich, principal of Nankana Public School, said that schools have been opened for students of classes VI to XII today, but from tomorrow schools will be opened for all classes. Waraich said, “Due to pre-board, full attendance of students of classes IX to XII was recorded, while the attendance of students of classes VI to VIII was 50 percent. We hope that this percentage will improve in the coming days.” CBSE-affiliated schools were eagerly waiting for reopening, as students have to take pre-board exams. Board examinations for class X and XII will begin from February 15, before which schools will have to conduct practical examinations and pre-boards. At the same time, the Punjab School Education Board has also released the datesheet for board classes examinations starting from February 19. Class VIII exams will be held from February 19 to March 7, Class X exams from March 10 to April 4 and Class XII exams from February 19 to April 4. With the announcement of the datesheet, teachers have geared up to complete the syllabus and avoid last minute problems and have urged students to attend classes regularly.