Hills: Some schools to reopen after winter break

Darjeeling: Along with the rest of the state, Madhyamik and Higher Secondary schools reopened in the Hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong on Tuesday with students of class 9 to 12 attending.

However, most ICSE schools in the Hills did not open owing to complications involved in calling in boarding students with winter recess scheduled just round the corner. Schools had closed down in Bengal in March 2020. "We are feeling very good returning to school. Online classes were difficult. We are willing to attend classes on Sunday also. During online classes, we faced a lot of problems owing to network problems. Offline classes are much better," stated Arpit Gurung of Class 10, Municipal Boys' School.

Students were accorded a warm welcome while returning to school. "We gave them flowers and pens, trying to boost their morale. Attendance was in very good numbers. All COVID-19 protocols have been followed," stated Ashok Kumar Chettri, teacher of the Municipal Boys' School.

Many ICSE schools specially with boarding facilities in the Hills decided against opening up as a three month long winter recess usually commences by mid December.

"As our school closes down on November 30 for winter recess it is not feasible to call in the boarders for attending two weeks of classes," stated Rev. Joy Haldar, Rector, St. Paul's School- a boarding school located in Darjeeling. Many schools like St. Joseph's, Loreto Convent will only be holding offline semester board exams for Class X and XII as directed by the Board.