The summer vacation which began from June 29 ended on July 30, but schools have not been able to run classes smoothly due to poor attendance. Only 25 out of around 400 students were present in Janabikash Secondary School in Suwanauli on Tuesday.
“Though the schools have reopened, guardians hesitate to send their wards to attend classes for fear that their children might contract the disease,” said Shyam Raj KC, a teacher. He said that the students have been asked to attend schools only from August 9.
“We have visited almost every student´s home requesting their guardians to send them to school, but to no avail. Even the students are scared,” said Karna Bahadur Khadka, principal of Mahadev Primary School, Ranka. Around 150 students are enrolled at the school.
According to District Education Office (DEO), of the 410 schools in Jajarkot, Birendra Higher Secondary School is the only school which has been running classes. “We have asked the schools to reopen and mobilize students for the control of the epidemic. What can we do when the students do not come to school?” questions Lalit Bikram Shah, a section officer at the DEO.
Some schools in the villages worst hit by the outbreak are being used as health camps forcing their closure. Students who returned to Managhat Primary School in Managhat after the vacation had to return after the Nepal Army set up a health camp at the school premises the same day.
“I reached school only to find that the teachers had not returned after vacation. So, I returned home,” says Jeevan Shahi of Bal Secondary School, Jhapra. The school is one of the biggest in Jajarkot with around 700 students. The teachers said they were worried if they would be able to complete the course on time if students continued to be absent.
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