Mangalore: Excitement in air as kids march off to schools after summer break

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP/VM)
With Inputs from Silvester D'Souza, Kundapur

Mangalore, May 31: After a long summer break from school, students across the city on Thursday May 31 returned to their schools to get back in the usual grind of yet another academic year. They were seen with colorful bags loaded with brand new books, lunch boxes, and umbrellas for the monsoon, all excited to catch up with their friends.

The period of pure fun and frolic is over for the young children, who spent their summer vacation lasting for almost two months, playing, learning new skills, attending functions, and generally having fun with friends and going on family trips.

Various government schools in the state marked the beginning of the school year with an assembly that included a march past. On this day, the management distributed books, uniforms and other facilities to the students given by a few donors and the government.

Many parents chose to drop their children to schools on their own, instead of sending them by other means of transport on the first day of the new academic year. Parents of children joining the schools for the first time had a tough time as the young ones were reluctant, with some of them even throwing tantrums.

Since the last several days, parents coupled with their children, were seen queuing up before shops selling colourful bags, dresses, books, stationery items, and others. The time also brings to fore high expectations among the children about their new dresses, uniforms, new text books, new friends, new class rooms, new teachers etc, and also worries about losing close friends who may be allotted a different section or those who may go to a new place on transfer, shifting of home etc.

In Kundapur, the stocks of many stores have been exhausted and new stocks have been ordered. Some traders have also been offering discounts, in an effort to attract students and parents towards them. The way the parents were seen carrying heavy books on behalf of the children seems to signify that the burden of schooling will continue to be on their shoulders for some more time at least.

The schools, some of which were painted during the holidays or annual days, are ready to welcome the students, some old, some new. Government and aided schools have reportedly not yet received the text books from the government for distribution among the students.  Benches and desks in most schools leave much to be desired. Some reputed institutions are said to be demanding hefty sums in the form of donations, as a result of which, even students with high marks, fail to get seats in schools of their choice. Rainy season has almost begun, and dug out pits, open and clogged drains which will give rise to artificial flooding during rainy season, narrow pathways between slushy fields, etc continue to pose dangers for unsuspecting youngsters attending schools from today.

Shrutisha Shetty of B B Hegde College and Vijayashree of Sharada College Basrur, said that they had spent the summer holidays with friends, playing and having fun. “We are shopping for items required for our student life. Our fond wait will however be for the next summer vacation,” they confessed. Harshith, a third standard student of Venkataramana School here said he is disappointed at the fact that holidays are over. However, he is eager to share his holiday experiences with his school friends.