Six-year-old Aayat Parveen removed her mask only when her teacher asked to savour the sweet payasam distributed among children at the Govt. GBTS Lower Primary School at Edappally on Wednesday morning.
"I know that we should be wearing masks. My parents have told me that I would be sick, if I am not wearing the mask," she said as her sister Aaliya Parveen lifted her cloth mask to cover her nose properly. Humein bahut achcha lag raha hai [We are feeling good], they said as her father M.D. Manjaran, a tailor, waited outside the classroom to pick his children on the first day of school reopening. A native of Patna, he had made Kochi his second home more than a decade back.
An anxious girl looks for her parents on her first day at SRV LP School in Kochi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Aayat and Aaliya were among the hundreds of children in Ernakulam who returned to their schools after a long break induced by the pandemic crisis. As the rain stayed away and a clear sky emerged, campuses turned active again with offline sessions resuming in a full-fledged scale.
Agnes V.R., Headmistress, welcomed the kids on the first day of the new academic year. The classroom-cum-hall on the campus was decorated with balloons and colour papers. "We had 46 new children joining Class 1 in the new academic year while 55 children joined the lower and upper kindergarten level. Among the newcomers, 12 are children of migrant workers," she said.
Not all went into the classrooms smiling on the day of school reopening in Ernakulam. A scene from Govt Girls HS Ernakulam, on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
The CBSE schools were also abuzz with excitement as children came wearing masks and carrying sanitisers. Indira Rajan, chief patron, Council of CBSE Schools Kerala, said that the classes will be held as per the directives on health protocol issued by the authorities.
On the need to keep vigil against the pandemic in the coming days, Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman, Indian Medical Association, COVID national-level task force, said managements should ensure a quiet place, where a child can take rest if required during school hours. “Masks may be removed at the time of physical training. Children or staff, who have fever of cold symptoms, should not come to school. Exhaust fans in toilets will help reduce aerosol spread,” he said.
