School bells ring again in Ludhiana, but nip in the air keeps attendances low
With the wave of cold weather prevailing over Ludhiana, government schools witnessed nearly empty classrooms on the first day after the winter break
With the wave of cold weather prevailing over the city, government schools witnessed nearly empty classrooms on the first day after the winter break. The formal commencement of classes faced disruptions due to significantly low attendance on Monday.
At the PAU Government Senior Secondary School, which boasts a student strength of 4,500, only around 80 children attended on the first day. Similarly, the multipurpose school had barely 100 students out of the total 2,300. Schools in rural areas like Mangat fared equally poorly, with only around 50 of the 8000 students turning up.
Explaining the low attendance, a teacher from Government Senior Secondary School on Cemetery road stated, “Many students come from far-flung places, relying on public transport or bicycles to commute. However, due to severe weather conditions, parents are apprehensive about sending their wards to school, resulting in low attendance.”
Class 11 and 12 were found completely vacant at Government Senior Secondary School, Gobind Nagar, with only two to three students present in the junior classes per section. Teachers attributed the low turnout to a significant number of students coming from the migrant population, noting that many students visit their native villages during the break, prolonging their absence.
“Most of our students are from migrant families who usually visit their hometowns during the break, prompting them to take extra leaves. Many students called us today morning, coming from far locations, citing the harsh weather as the reason for their leaves,” said teachers from the school, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Concerns were also raised by various teachers regarding the majority of children coming from economically weaker sections, noting that they may lack resources for safe transport to school, especially in dense fog, as most of them come on cycles.
“We are privileged that we can layer ourselves with warm clothes, but there are our students, especially in classes above eight, who do not get sweaters as part of their uniform. They come underdressed, making them more vulnerable to falling sick, especially those who commute via cycles, finding it difficult to navigate through the dense fog,” a teacher not wishing to be named said.
Expressing worry over the orange alert issued by the weather body, indicating dense to very dense fog with cold day conditions over the next four days, Government School Teacher Union vice-president Sanjiv Kumar, said, “In August last year, the government announced school holidays when the meteorological body forecasted heavy rains. Why not now, when the weather conditions are clearly unfavourable for students and teachers to commute to school, especially when the meteorological body has issued red and orange alerts for the coming days.”
