Kolkata schools plan to call in classes IX-XII first

KOLKATA: City schools are likely to call in older students first when they re-open. While some may call in classes IX-XII, other would start with the plus two kids first. The middle school will be called in only after students of these four years adjust to the new on-campus rules. It is unlikely that junior or primary school will be called in before August.
The ministry of human resources development in association with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), are together framing the guidelines, where they have jointly indicated classes IX-XII should be called in first since older kids would find it easier to adjust.The draft is awaiting home ministry nod.

“Something as basic as keeping a mask on or maintaining distance from each other on campus or not sharing tiffin are things that older children would understand,” said Aloke Tibrewal, chairman of DPS Ruby Park.
Schools agree that since classes IX-XII are preparatory board years, they need more classroom teaching than the other academic years. Schools like La Martiniere, Loreto Elliot Road, DPS Ruby Park and Howrah, Heritage School, South City International, Apeejay and Birla High School for Boys are all mulling to bring in IX-XII first. “Tender age kids will take a long time in getting used to masks, repeated hand wash and keeping distance,” said Supriyo Dhar, secretary of the La Martiniere schools.
Since the plus two years get the least number of contact classroom teaching days, they should get the first preference, feels Nandini Bhattacharya, a senior teacher at Loreto Elliot Road. “In the board years there is additional pressure of practicals to be done in the laboratories and these cannot be done through online classes,” said Sunita Arora, principal of DPS Howrah.
“Online classes are moving very well in our school, but IX-XII will need contact classroom teaching and so we will move them in first, perhaps,” said Heritage School principal, Seema Sapru.