SRINAGAR, Mar 2: After an almost three-year-long gap, school children in Kashmir with that little leap in their steps reached campuses across the valley on Wednesday in their uniforms, face masks, carrying backpacks and broad smiles on their faces.
Schools remained closed for 31 months initially due to scrapping of J&K’s special status and later over the pandaemic outbreak. In these 31 months, valley schools had opened for two brief intervals.
I pray that the schools continue to function, said Zaira, a Class 7 student of Delhi Public School in Budgam.
In many schools, the staff greeted children with flowers or chocolates. Parents at many places in Srinagar dropped their children to schools.
Most children say they were excited to meet their friends.
It has been a long break and I am happy to meet my friends, said Ibrahim, a student of Class 9. We have been in touch with our friends over phone, but the feeling of meeting them physically is totally different.
Ahead of the reopening of schools, the Director School Education in Kashmir (DSEK) issued a message: Let us break the ice and pass on a message that this week it will be more play, more fun.”
The schools were also asked to organize one to one counseling with students, each child getting around 10 minutes.
In the wake of these directions, the students have also been advised by the school authorities not to carry books and notebooks to school during the first week of re-opening. The school authorities said they would ensure that all the Covid Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) were strictly followed in the campuses.
Most of the schools have started classes at 50 per cent capacity keeping in mind Covid safety. (Agencies)
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