By IANS
New Delhi : Cheerful and chatty, thousands of students trooped into their classrooms Monday with bags, books and lunchboxes as schools in the national capital reopened after two long months of summer vacation.
Teachers and pupils could be spotted walking down corridors, even as many parents – especially those of junior school students – parked themselves outside the school gate hoping all would go well.
"There was almost 100 percent attendance in every class. Children were enthusiastic about meeting their friends and parents were relaxed that kids would be away in school for several hours again," said Shyama Chona, principal of Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram.
While many schools opened Monday, others will open through the week.
On the first day itself, the usual teacher-student business began in right earnest. Many teachers said the students had been too busy having fun during vacation to complete their assignments.
"Out of 41 students in my class, only six submitted their assignments even though the assignments were very simple like giving an account of the places visited by them during holidays," complained Firoz Bakht Ahmed, who teaches Class 10 students at Modern School, Barakhamba Road.
Parents had a different story to tell.
"I sat up till late night with my kids to help them finish their homework," said Mukul Verma, father of two children studying in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.
"In the first month of holidays, both my kids simply relaxed. The next month they slowly started working on their assignments. My elder son, who is in Class 10, completed it on his own. But I had to sit with my younger son, who is in Class 5," he said.
Kamini Jain, the mother of two children studying in Shri Ram School that opens Tuesday, said: "I went to buy new shoes, bags and stationery for my children who are in Class 6 and 3. There was such a rush at shops selling these items."
The schools are reopening at a time when the monsoon has just set in. So they are all set to combat any trouble from the rain.
"I will make an announcement about the precautions kids must take during the rainy season. Also, we will be holding indoor co-curricular competitions for painting and elocution and screening movies so that children do not go out and play in the rain," said Chona.
Added Ahmed: "We will instruct children not to get drenched in the rain and then sit under the fan. We will also tell their parents to provide them with raincoats and umbrellas," added Ahmed.