Guwahati: The 32-year-old Ulubari Higher Secondary School in Assam's largest city Guwahati saw an unwelcome guest in the form of an early morning drizzle on Tuesday, which left it partially submerged. The few students and teachers who turned up for lessons were left distraught as they could not enter the premises and were left stranded outside.
Somewhat bafflingly, this school is not located in some remote village, but in the Ulubari area which is usually abuzz with life and activity and lies in Guwahati city's very heart. The teachers and students who came today braving the COVID-19 for lessons by following social distancing and other protocols, were left defeated by the rain became silent spectators to a heart-rending sight.
"We went to the school to conduct classes for Classes 10 and 11 today after the long coronavirus induced lockdown. Despite apprehensions over the pandemic situation, a sizable number of new students from the Class 11 batch came as it was supposed to be their first day of school. Most of our teachers had also turned up in order to impart lessons", Arupa Patgiri, the Principal of the School, informed The Sentinel Digital. "We were excited to once again resume the process of learning, but what we saw when we leached the school left us in dismay. Knee-deep water greeted us at the school. Although some of the teachers stayed from 8:30 till 11:30, the continuing rain put paid to our hopes of conducting a single class. Teachers and students both had no option but to return home."
A few hours of drizzle that began in the early morning hours has led to the creation of mini pools across Guwahati today, with traffic snarls becoming commonplace. In many of the busy localities of the city, water clogging has severely restricted the mobility of the citizens, thereby leaving them in a serious quandary.
The pitiable sight of this Ulubari school has come to the fore a single day after the government allowed the resumption of classes after a gap of almost 6 months due to the ongoing crisis situation. Despite fears of the corona and availability of online classes which allows students to learn from the comfort of their houses, a few students have once again started going to schools to learn. The attendance in the rural areas, where the coronavirus cases are lesser, is a bit higher, it has been observed.
The Government of Assam, after the Centre's issual of 'Unlock 4' directives, currently allows Classes for IX and XII students to be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while for students of X and XI classes would be held on Tuesdays, Thursdayss, and Saturdays. While all government schools will start functioning, private school authorities have been asked to take a call on their own.