All-pass, but students mark full attendance
When the government announced all-pass for the students from Class 9 to Class 11, there were concerns from several quarters that students might not turn up at schools for the rest of the academic year.
When schools remained shut, teachers had to visit students’ homes to distribute noon meal items.
When schools remained shut, teachers had to visit students’ homes to distribute noon meal items.
However, students are still coming to government schools in large numbers – most of them reportedly recording more than 85 per cent attendance – thanks to the noon meal programme and interesting class activities.
When the state government declared all-pass in view of the difficulties brought about by the pandemic and lockdown, teachers and academicians had said the attendance was likely to fall drastically. But in contrast, students evinced interest in coming to schools not only to have noon-meal, but also to participate in various extracurricular activities.
A senior official from the School Education Department claimed that government schools have reported more than 85 per cent attendance on an average. “To motivate the students, we have also orally instructed headmasters and teachers to get them engaged with interesting classroom activities,” he added.
The official added that headmasters were instructed to also encourage the teachers to complete the reduced syllabus as far as possible. RC Saraswathi, headmistress of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, said her students were not only showing interest in extracurricular activities but also cooperating with the teachers to complete the portions despite being promoted to the next standard.
“In some schools, the attendance is more than 90 per cent,” said PK Ilamaran, a government school teacher and the president of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association, adding that he has sought reports from members of the organisation from other districts.
“In addition to noon-meal, our school also provides breakfast to the students. They are excited to come to school, while teachers are involving them in interesting activities, including speech competition and quiz programmes,” he said.
Ilamaran also urged the state government to extend noon meal for classes 11 and 12 so that they would also be benefited by the scheme during this pandemic situation.
