The staff and the students of NATIVE Upper Primary School have expressed their thanks to all donors for their great help towards them during the 2019-2020 academic year and particularly during this pandemic period. Due to COVID-19 the school has been closed from 19th March 2020. The final exams for classes LKG to 5th have been conducted before 18th of March. According to the Government rules students of 6th and 7th classes were promoted to the higher class without conducting the final exams. By God’s grace all the staff and students of this school are keeping well.

As per the Government rules all the schools are closed till on today. In spite of schools being closed due to COVID-19, six new students took admission in our school (four in LKG, two in third class). At present the total strength of the school is 68 students. The administrative staff continue to work in the school from morning till afternoon to issue the study certificates, marks list and other documents to the students who are leaving the school.

Two students from 6th class: P. Anil Babu and Ch. Abishek Babu, and one student from 7th class M. Akshaya are nominated for Inspire-Manak; a Science and technology Online Project started by the Government of India

Inspire-Manak

Inspire Awards – Manak is an initiative to foster a culture of creative and innovative thinking among school children to address societal needs through science and technology.

Projects taken by three students

  • P. Anil Babu: science lesson; uses of water in our daily life
  • Ch. Abishek Babu: science lesson; sinking or floating in water
  • M. Akshaya: science lesson; test for starch; preparation of dilute iodine solution

Responses of staff and students

  • G. Shivanagarani joined school in June 2019. She belongs to a poor family. She pursued bachelor of education degree, and she teaches for second and third classes. Due to the close down of schools in the month of March because of pandemic her family members were in great fear thinking that she would not be receiving any salary, and she also was thinking that she may lose her job, because one of her friends who also is a teacher working in another private school was removed because of the lockdown. Shivanagarani is thankful to God and to the leadership of NA.T.I.V.E for receiving her salary regularly every month.
  • Padma expresses her thanks to the leadership for the monthly support she receives regularly at the time of lockdown she was worried thinking that she may not receive monthly support. But mercifully she was helped through Native. She attends weekly bible class regularly and spends time in prayer. She’s thankful to God for blessing her daughter with a child.
  • M.V. Venkateshwar Rao and K. Peter expressed their sincere thanks for the regular salary for the whole year especially during the lockdown period. Both are extremely grateful for the generous gifts of two wheelers to each of them. They are thankful for the groceries they received and rejoiced in the mercy toward them.
  • P.J. Tabitha is thankful for the regular salary and groceries she received. She is thankful for the help she received to pursue the ‘Bachelor of Education’ (B.Ed.) training course. In the month of September 2020 she wrote her final exams, and awaiting the result.
  • Emima, class 4: Emima’s mother Kavitha expresses her thanks to the leadership at Native for providing rice, eggs, and peanut snacks regularly. She is amazed that just as all children were provided nutritious lunch daily during school, so also, though school is shut due to lockdown, teachers visited regularly and provided monthly ration so we mothers could still feed our children nutritious food. She says that the students belonging to Government schools receive only eggs every day but the NUPS is providing rice, eggs, peanut snacks and other items.
  • Venkateshwaramma’s husband passed away last year. She works as a daily wager to earn her livelihood. Out of her four children three are studying in our school; Nagamani 6th class, Mariamma 6th class, and Yesukumari 2nd class. She is thankful to God for feeding them through Native. She says she could not go for work during the lockdown time and feared they would all starved had they not received children’s monthly ration and special package of groceries as Covid-19 relief.

Student’s participation in a project

During the months of March, April and May 2020 the students and the staff of NPUS prepared the placards, and went around the village to bring the awareness of Corona Virus, and the precautions to be taken such as wearing mask, maintaining social distance, washing hands with soap, using a handkerchief to cover mouth and nose when they sneeze, using sanitizer, and if they use tissue it has to be thrown in the dustbin immediately. But the project had to be stopped when the spread of virus increased.

School uniforms, shoes and other items ordered

Placed order and payment made for the following items for all the students. Three pairs of school uniform, one pair of sports uniform one pair of black shoes, one pair of white shoes, one pair of white socks, two pairs of black socks.

Ordered school bags, notebooks, textbooks, stationery, school tie, school belt, school badge.

NOTE: The Government of Andhra Pradesh started a new project called ‘Jagannanna Vidhya Karuna’ this academic year. In this project the Government started providing three pairs of school uniforms and other necessities to all the Govt. school students. So NUPS also decided to add one pair of school uniform, one pair of white shoes and to the previous regular things.

The students are encouraged to attend the online classes broadcasted on television by the Government, however due to power outage the students could not attend regularly. We may need to consider buying equipment to transmit online classes as well as buy digital devices for children.

Recently the government issued the notification that the schools should be reopened on 2nd of November 2020. We are eagerly waiting for it however, since the classrooms are small are small, we are wondering if we should build a room on the 1st floor to maintain social distancing and to avoid running the school with different timings.

New Rules from November 2, 2020

  • The AP Education Department has decided that only classes 9th and 10th would start on 2nd November; Classes 6th through 8th on 23rd November and classes 1st to 5th from 14th December. Schools would be closed from 30th April 2021.
  • No School for Lower and Upper Kindergarten Children.
  • School Administration should obtain parent’s written consent for attending school
  • Schools to run on alternative dates for odd (1,3,5,7) & even (2,4,6) classes
  • Children should be sent home after providing lunch
  • Temperatures should be checked at the gate. Masks are compulsory. School should have good supply of masks, sanitizers or soaps for hand wash.
  • Children who report with cough, cold or temperature should be transported safely home.
  • Toilets should be cleaned every hour
  • Social Distancing should be maintained while Transporting children to school and back
  • Social distancing should be maintained at all times including Lunch
  • Each child should have his/her own water bottle
  • To avoid children from congregating at toilets or any other place, they should have intermission at different times.
  • Teachers and helpers to maintain a chart for temperature readings
  • Social distancing to be maintained during Assembly & Prayer times

Other needs

To Buy – Infrared thermometers, Masks, Sanitizer Stands, Liquid Sanitizer (small & large bottles), Soaps, Liquid Disinfectants, Fumigating or fog machines,

It appears there would be less teaching and more of Covid-19 care but the children and teachers should be safe and school should be a safe environment.