Poor attendance in schools on day one as Amavasya sentiment prevails, students get warm welcome in many schools

Schools in the erstwhile Khammam and Warangal districts recorded low attendance on reopening day as many parents kept children at home due to Amavasya beliefs. Officials distributed textbooks and notebooks while continuing enrolment efforts under the Badi Bata programme

Khammam/Warangal: The current academic year in the erstwhile Khammam and Warangal districts began on a subdued note on Monday, as a large number of students skipped the reopening day due to the prevailing ‘Amavasya’ sentiment and the State government’s failure to take note of people’s sentiments.

It may be noted that a majority of those who follow the Hindu religion consider Amavasya (new moon day) inauspicious for starting new ventures. With schools reopening on Monday, which coincided with Amavasya, a majority of parents preferred not to send their children to school on the day.

---

As a result, attendance of only 13 to 20 percent was registered in both private and government schools. The same was expected to continue on Tuesday as well, as many also believe Tuesday is inauspicious for new beginnings. Schools were expected to function at full strength from Wednesday onwards.

The Education Department officials, who rescheduled the reopening of schools from June 13 as it was the second Saturday, should have paid attention to people’s sentiments and reopened the schools on Wednesday, said Shiva Kumar, a parent from Kothagudem.

Meanwhile, in several schools, teachers took care to ensure that the reopening day was special by decorating the premises and welcoming students with flower bouquets.

At KGBV in Mansing thanda of Narmetta mandal in Jangaon district, students received a special welcome as the institution’s special officer, Rajitha, warmly greeted them with bouquets. The students, delighted by the gesture, thanked the teachers.

Similarly, at the Government Upper Secondary School in B Lakshmipuram village of Mahabubabad district, District Educational Officer (DEO) Satyanarayana Murthy and the teaching staff welcomed students with festive music, besides presenting them with roses and balloons.

The DEO stated that notebooks and textbooks were distributed to students in 762 government schools on the first day of the academic year. As part of the ‘Badi Bata’ programme, officials had conducted door-to-door visits and were striving to increase student enrolment by 10 percent this year.