Despite Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s assertion that a decision will be take to resume regular classes, the decision cannot be unilateral. The State has to follow the guidelines and standard operation procedures of the Centre during the period that the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Schools were the first to close, even before the nationwide lockdown, and going by the manner in which the novel coronavirus is spreading, it appears unlikely that the Centre will green signal the opening of schools. Until now, there has been no decision taken in the State or the Centre, but like the Chief Minister, everybody is concerned about the students, especially those who in March-April 2021 will be answering their Class X and Class XII Board examinations.
These Board exams are always taken seriously, and a large number of students begin preparing for them in advance, some even two years prior to the Class XII exam. Admissions to the Class XI private coaching tutorials are obtained in advance so that the students are fully prepared to face the Board exam and the entrance exams for the courses of their choice. All that is now at a standsill and there is a dense cloud of uncertainty on when schools will reopen. Schools have been shut since mid-March and coaching classes are also not allowed. Besides, students who have answered their Class X exams will get their results only in July. The uncertainty is increasing stress among students, as well as parents.
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On the other hand, there are many schools across the State that have started online classes for their students. These are mainly private shools who have details of students that enables them to be in contact with the parents, but there are many other schools that are not in a position to start online teaching. The Chief Minister, who also holds the education portfolio, has now said that online classes are not compulsory. The statement came following complaints of poor connectivity that was arising as a hindrance to online studies. When the government thought of online teaching during the pandemic, hadn’t it visualised that connectivity in the State would be a major hurdle?
In the weeks during the lockdown, the government did promote online teaching as an alternative to classroom teaching. Last month teachers from primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools were provided with online training to enable then to engage with virtual platforms and pedagogical processes. Thousands of teachers have been trained in this. When postponing the reopening of schools, the Department of Education had even advised schools to support students in making the best use of technology, asking the teachers to ‘put to the best possible use to conduct online classes wherever possible’. Many schools have been unable to do so due to the lack of connectivity and also facilities.
What Chief Minister Sawant also said is that people are the cause of the poor infrastructure, as there has been opposition to mobile towers in villages. Truly, there has been opposition, and that has been one of the causes of poor connectivity. While it may be possible to engage in online teaching in the urban areas, reaching to students residing in the interiors will be difficult. With school reopening uncertain, education will be another of the many sectors that this pandemic will affect. There will be parents who will be reluctant to sent children to school even after they are opened. If online teaching is not compulsory, then what is the option that the government can suggest for education to continue? Though schools remain closed, can teaching be stopped? Obviously not, so if not online teaching, then some other form of teaching will be needed.
