School attendance plummets amid heavy rainfall and Nabanna ‘Abhijan’

Kolkata: Attendance dropped significantly in government-run schools of Kolkata on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall and the fear of disruptions due to the Nabanna ‘Abhijan’ (march). Many schools suspended classes after the first half, allowing students to go home.

Students at Sanskrit Collegiate School in College Street were not affected by disruptions, as they were dismissed around 2 pm, before the situation escalated at College Street.

School’s assistant master in-charge, Arunava Adak, said: “Attendance was severely impacted, especially in primary sections. Two-three students had come. We let them go without holding classes.” For secondary students, “only some students of classes 8-10 had come but they and their parents requested for early release. Considering that, we let them go after the tiffin period.”

Similarly, Bethune Collegiate School let the girls go early due to low attendance. Sabari Bhattacharya,

assistant mistress in-charge, attributed the lower attendance to the heavy rain rather than the Nabanna March. “We let the girls go early. Morning and day, both sections had lower attendance percentages. I think this happened due to the heavy rain. Some students who come from Howrah may be affected due to this Nabanna March but rain was the main issue,” she said. “Attendance was very low, around 50 per cent. Mainly local students had come. Full-day classes were held but considering the situation, the parents were told to pick up their children from the schools,” said Supriyo Panja, Headmaster of Park Institution in Shyambazar.

The same situation was observed throughout the city, from north to south. Partha Pratim Baidya, headmaster of Jadavpur Vidyapeeth in South Kolkata, reported that attendance was around 50 per cent, compared to the school’s usual 80 per cent. He also attributed this to the rain.

Many private schools had previously decided to suspend classes and postpone exams for the day. Some moved to online mode.