Many Students Relieved To Take Physical Classes

As students resumed physical classes in schools on Wednesday after a long COVID-induced hiatus, many of them said they were looking forward to it especially after facing many problems during online teachings like not having access to smartphones or the internet and health issues due to eye and neck

As students resumed physical classes in schools on Wednesday after a long COVID-induced hiatus, many of them said they were looking forward to it especially after facing many problems during online teachings like not having access to smartphones or the internet and health issues due to eye and neck strain. On the first day of school, students shared their concerns with their teachers who said that they could make out the learning gaps and how additional work will be needed to make up for the loss. Rimpy, a Class 11 student of a government school in Tilak Nagar, is among the many in state-run schools who could not afford smartphones for online classes and were happy to finally attend regular classes. "My younger brother is in Class 9. We did not have a phone to attend online classes which proved to be quite difficult. Now that physical classes have resumed, it will be easier for my brother and me to cope with studies," said the girl, whose father works at a factory in Model Town.Ayushka Gupta, a student of the same school with two other siblings, faced similar issues. "I would often call my teachers and come and meet them in person at school to understand subjects," she said. Lakshya, a student of Class IX in a government school in Sunder Nagri, said his elder brother had a phone but he would leave for work every day which meant he couldn't attend online classes. Seema, a domestic help, has three children, all of whom used to go to school before the pandemic.After the pandemic, she said, it was difficult for her to make ends meet since households had stopped calling them and even her husband was left unemployed. "My children could not take classes since we could not afford a smartphone. They have been promoted to higher class but are finding it difficult to cope with studies," she said.