50% drop in attendance at Mohali government schools

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 24

In the wake of spurt in Covid-19 cases in Mohali district, the attendance of students in government schools has gone down by more than 50 per cent.

According to information, about 25 to 28 students were present in a class daily in government schools. After the increase in Covid-19 cases, this number has gone down to 10 to 12 students.

Pertinently, schools in the district reopened on October 19 after about six months’ lockdown. Confirming the development Manpreet Mangat, Headmistress, Government High School, Landran, said the number of students attending classes had gone down from 28 to 12.

Still teachers were pursuing brilliant students to attend classes regularly so as to remove any doubts in a particular subject, she added.

Teachers were approaching parents to convince them to send their wards to school so that they could get proper education, which was possible only through physical attendance only, she said.

They hoped that the number of students in the school would increase in another few days after coronavirus cases declined, she added.

The school was also holding online classes for students, who preferred to stay home, she said. They were allowing students to attend classes only after getting due permission from their parents, she added.

District Education Officer Himat Singh could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. However, a senior official of the Education Department said lower attendance in schools was also due to change in weather conditions. Students’ number could go down further as the temperature would plummet in the coming days, he added.