The Department of Public Instruction is making all arrangements to reopen government schools in Udupi district on Monday, after summer vacation.
There are 712 government and 285 aided schools in the district. Though government schools will reopen on May 29, the re-opening ceremony (‘prarambotsava’) will be held on May 30. The cleaning and whitewashing of many government schools was in the final stages.
On Tuesday, schools will take out a procession. “Rangolis will be drawn at the entrance of the schools. They will be given a sweet dish during the midday meals on Tuesday. The students getting admitted to class 1 will be given balloons purchased by the School Development and Monitoring Committees,” Diwakar Shetty, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) told The Hindu .
Classes will start from the first day itself. A Bridge Course will be held for students from classes 4 to 9 on alternative periods and alternative days to revise the previous year’s syllabus till June 21. A special enrolment drive to admit students to schools will be held before June 3.
The district administration has directed the respective gram panchayats to distribute water to schools if there was no rain by Monday and water scarcity continued. “Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Francis has already passed orders,” Mr. Shetty said.
‘Zero-teacher’ schools
There are four ‘zero-teacher’ schools in the district. The department has deputed teachers from nearby schools to these schools, he said. The department has already recommended shifting of students from the Mahatma Gandhi School located opposite the Udupi City Municipal Council to the North School in Udupi. This was because the walls of Mahatma Gandhi School had developed cracks. “This has to be approved by the zilla panchayat,” Mr. Shetty said.
