A month back at school: From not having to share phones to seeing friends, pupils all smiles

New Delhi: Back at school for a month, Class XI student Mansi is delighted she no longer has to share a mobile with her two siblings but at the same time, she is also upset that she can no longer sit within whispering distance of her friends in class.

Across the 'class' divide, Avishi Goel is also happy to be back at her private school in Delhi but is still trying to get used to the regimen of wearing masks at all times and not sharing lunch boxes.

One month after the Delhi government allowed Class IX to XII students to return to schools with 50 per cent capacity from September 1, students and teachers across the spectrum welcomed the return to a semblance of normalcy.

The pandemic has meant different things to different people – those such as Mansi often called upon to sacrifice her online classes as the eldest of three siblings, the more fortunate Avishi who had devices but often found her attention flagging, and the teaching community that balanced

COVID-19 fears, home responsibilities and the tough job of connecting with students through a screen.

"I had to miss a class quite frequently because one or the other of my siblings was attending theirs. It is a relief that schools have opened. Now I don't have to worry about getting hold of a phone and frequent network issues," 16-year-old Mansi, the daughter of a chauffeur, said.

Saniya Saifi, who also studies in Class XI, suffered the consequences of the yawning digital divide too. There was only one phone between her homemaker mother and herself.

"It was difficult to sit through a class as somebody or other would call on the phone and my class would disconnect even before I could disconnect the call. Due to network issues, it would often be difficult to rejoin the class," Saniya said.

While students such as Mansi and Saniya with limited resources have been able to bridge the digital divide by returning to the classroom, Avishi, too, is thrilled at being back among her friends.

"It is fun to go back because we had network issues or the teachers would not be able to pay attention to everyone," the Class IX student said.

But even as schools start reopening in the city, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority is cautious and has for now decided that junior classes will not be reopened for physical classes — at least till the festive season is over. Till then, the younger children will continue classes online.