Mumbai State-board schools reopened on Wednesday two years after they were hastily shuttered on account of Covid-19. The reopening amidst yet another spike in cases presented a curious scene at most schools. Wailing toddlers being subjected to temperature checks, masks askew or entirely missing while teachers and school staff tried to boost student morale with special treats.
“I was wondering if my child would cry as he has only attended online school so far and has not spent any time away from us but today at school, someone dressed up as his favourite cartoon character, held his hand and led him into the classroom,” said Sheila Panda, mother of five-year-old Ansh who is enrolled at Anand Vishwa Gurukul School in Thane.
Attendance rate on day 1 stood between 75% to 95% at most schools. “I worry about my teacher being strict but I am also happy I will get to meet my friends who stay far away from me and who I couldn’t meet for so long,” said Isaac, a Std. 5 student of Don Bosco High School, Borivali. At another Borivali school, St. Anne’s High School, teachers found themselves helping students reorient themselves to their surroundings. A few of them, who had been studying in junior KG in 2020, instinctively returned to their old classrooms and had to be escorted to the second standard premises. This was also the case at Holy Cross School, Kurla. “Students who have progressed from primary to secondary were sitting in the wrong classrooms. I also observed that the students were behaving more maturely but I suppose it’s only a matter of time till they get comfortable and start with their mischief again,” said Rewati Kulkarni, assistant teacher.
Almost all schools shut early on Wednesday, with little to no academic instruction taking place. “We did not want to burden the children with anything heavy. Today was all about us celebrating their return. Our teachers took great initiative and decorated their classrooms to make them feel welcome on campus. They were given books, pencils and erasers as welcome gifts,” said Madhavi Wagle, principal, Malti Jayant Dalal High School, Santacruz. Wagle did, however, emphasise that students were given refresher instructions on maintaining Covid-safety measures, including wearing of masks. “We also encourage parents to vaccinate eligible children,” she added.
Other schools prepared special lunches to welcome back children. “Usually the school has khichdi or sprouts in gravy for lunch, but today everyone was happy and excited so we decided to serve sheera instead,” said Sushma Anavkar, principal, Suvidyalaya. At Holy Cross in Kurla, the school band played enthusiastically as students trickled in. “The teachers had a special assembly arranged and there was also a special mass held for Catholic students,” said Father Norbert, principal.
Parents meanwhile could be seen in high-spirits for a variety of reasons but mainly relief. Vinod Tiwari, parent to two daughters (ages 6 and 9) who are enrolled at St. Mary’s School in Kalyan said, “My wife and I have both been going to work for the last six months, so we’ve had to leave the kids behind with my mother, and caring for them has taken a toll on her. The girls were very excited to meet their friends after a long time. While the school had ensured a smooth online system, I could tell that the lack of social interaction was making the girls unhappy.”
Sharmista D’souza, Isaac’s parent, was hopeful that her son’s academic progress will regain pace. She said the lockdown and online schooling learning had impacted his reading and writing abilities over the last two years. “I expect the teachers will have to work a lot harder with these kids to catch them up to speed,” she said.
For the next few weeks, said Sherly Paul, principal, Sheth MA High School, Andheri (west), her teachers will be focusing on providing children with a comprehensive recap of previous years’ syllabi, as per the ‘setu abhyaskram’ program announced by the NCERT and the state education department. “It will be a challenge for the teachers, but we have been working amid ourselves to take the previous year’s syllabus for every batch and condense the most important points to bridge any learning gaps,” she said. But on Day 1 of being back to school it was enough to take time to savour the return to normalcy.