Students in schools across Gujarat were back to their classrooms on Monday after the state government decided to discontinue the online education system.
Many students expressed joy at finally seeing their classmates and friends after a long absence, and said that studying offline was far superior to taking classes on computers and mobile devices.
The school administration strictly adhered to COVID-19 guidelines and allowed students to enter after checking their temperatures. In the classrooms, the majority of the students were seen wearing face masks.
“It is a positive development. There is a big difference between online and offline classes. The kind of education one gets offline is not possible through the virtual mode,” said the principal of a private school in Vadodara.
Officials from some schools said due to the prolonged online mode of education, many students have been out of the habit of writing properly.
“Physical interaction among students will foster competition, exchange of ideas and will ensure their educational and social growth,” the principal of a school in Ahmedabad said.
He stated that the schools will try to make up for the academic losses and other issues that students have faced in the last two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a Class 9 student from a local private school, physical classes are far superior to online classes.
“I prefer the offline mode. We will be able to learn more,” she said.
Some parents also expressed satisfaction with the state government’s decision to resume classes offline.
They also demanded that COVID-19 vaccination for students under the age of 15 begin as soon as possible.
Some schools have not discontinued online classes in order to ensure that students do not face commuting difficulties until school bus services return to normal.
The decision to discontinue online system education was made in response to a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases in the state.