Following the conclusion of the summer vacation, government schools across Telangana officially reopened on Monday. However, the first day of the new academic year was marked by empty benches and largely deserted classrooms across many institutions. The low turnout is being heavily attributed to a widespread cultural sentiment surrounding ‘Amavasya’ (New Moon Day), as many parents hesitated to send their children to school on a day traditionally considered inauspicious for starting new initiatives.
School administrations have expressed concern over the thin attendance, noting that even newly admitted students stayed away on the first day to avoid starting their academic journey on an Amavasya. The impact was starkly visible at the Girls’ High School in Geetha Nagar, located in the Rajanna Sircilla district headquarters, where only a single student turned up for the Class 10 section, leaving her entirely alone in the classroom. School authorities and parents noted that the situation might not improve immediately on Tuesday, as a significant section of society also avoids commencing new tasks or travel on Tuesdays. Consequently, educational institutions anticipate that full student strength and regular hustle-bustle will only return from Wednesday onward.
In contrast, several private schools anticipated this cultural hesitation and strategically chose to reopen earlier on Friday (June 12) or Saturday (June 13). By avoiding a reopening date that coincided with the New Moon Day, these private institutions managed to bypass the ‘Amavasya effect’ entirely, reporting significantly higher attendance percentages. Meanwhile, parents have suggested that the state government and education department should take such cultural calendars and traditional sentiments into account when scheduling future school reopening dates to avoid such disruptions.
