Bengaluru, Jan 2 (IANS): Students of 10 and 12 returned to their classes on Friday as schools and pre-university colleges reopened in Karnataka after a nine-month hiatus due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said that class 10 students had an average attendance of 41 per cent on the first day, while it was 32.56 per cent for the second year PUC (class 12).

Besides, students from grades 6-9 came to campuses for the Vidyagama programme, which enables continued schooling.

Following daylong inspections of various schools here, Kumar told reporters that nearly 3.8 lakh students returned to class 10 in 16,850 high schools, while the number stood at 78,794 for class 12 students in 5,492 colleges.

"I was very happy today after seeing the students returning to their classes," said the Minister.

"Amid the Covid pandemic situation and several curbs about 40 per cent of attendance for class 10 and 32.56 per cent attendance for PUC (class 12) isn't bad. It is a good beginning we have made I believe," Kumar said adding that the attendance in class 10 and 12 are likely to pick up the pace from Monday onwards.

Kumar further said that the state's education department will constitute several vigilance squads to check if the institutes are adhering to Covid rules or not.

"On-line classes will continue as long as parents want it. No enforcement would be made on any parent or student at any given point of time," he added.