Physical school attendance not compulsory for current academic year: Gujarat govt tells HC

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government on Wednesday told the High Court that physical attendance will not be compulsory for the students of the schools affiliated with the state education board for the current academic year. A division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri was hearing a PIL challenging a government circular that made it mandatory for all school students to attend physical classes.

There will be no online classes anymore amid the declining COVID-19 pandemic situation, the circular, which came into effect on February 15, said. The High Court had in its earlier order questioned the circular, stating that the risk of the pandemic remained.

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"Attendance is not mandatory for the purpose of examination. In that view, each parent can take a call. Attendance is not mandatory, and schools would not be taking any exception to this," government pleader Manisha Lavkumar Shah told the court on Wednesday. The court took her submission on record, saying that "attendance for physical appearance in the school for the academic year 2021-2022 would not be compulsory and it is left to the discretion of the respective schools and the parents."

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It said this will not be applicable to CBSE or ICSE affiliated schools. The government pleader also said that online classes will no longer be conducted as per a notification issued on the basis of a communication of the central government. The court said it will not go into that issue.