Spike in infections upends plans for regular learning in Delhi schools

School heads said that while online classes are taking place, the disruption of normal classes for the past two years is widening the learning gap and taking a toll on the mental health of students in the absence of peer-to-peer interaction

Amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in the Capital, schools are staring at another round of extended closure. Many schools that had earlier planned to hold classes and assessments on campus have now altered their plans for the next few weeks as they brace for another round of online classes.

Schools said that the closure had put a question mark on practical exams that are conducted on campus for board students.

Schools in Delhi had reopened for students of all grades in November last year. Last week, the Delhi government ordered the closure of all schools as it implemented the yellow alert of its Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) amid a spike in Covid-19 cases.

School heads said that while online classes are taking place, the disruption of normal classes for the past two years is widening the learning gap and taking a toll on the mental health of students in the absence of peer-to-peer interaction.

Sudha Acharya, the chairperson of the National Progressive Schools’ Conference, a conglomerate of over 120 private Delhi schools, said it seemed unlikely that schools will reopen before February.

Acharya, who is also the principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka, said that the surge in cases and the subsequent closure of schools has derailed teaching plans. “We had to call off a recent workshop that we had planned for the capacity building of teachers. In the current situation, nothing can be planned. It seems that schools might continue to remain closed till March if we go by previous Covid-19 waves,” said Acharya.

Schools said that the closure had put a question mark on practical exams that are conducted on campus for board students. “While theory can be taught online, practical sessions and exams require students to be on campus. Whenever schools reopen, conducting practical exams will be our first priority,” said Acharya.

Tanya Joshi, principal of the Indian School, said that the school will hold a meeting to deliberate upon the manner in which teaching and learning will continue in the coming days. “The situation doesn’t look good. From our past experience, we know that schools will be the last to reopen. Amid this uncertainty, we will need to ensure that we are making the best use of resources and will have to recalibrate our approach,” said Joshi.

Besides the logistical challenges of changes in timetables and assessments, schools are also worried about the impact of school closure on the learning gap. Since April last year, schools have been asked to shut four times on account of Covid-19 and pollution. The repeated disruptions are bound to exacerbate the already existing learning gaps, school heads said.

Laksh Vir Sehgal, principal of Bal Bharati Public School, Ganga Ram Hospital Marg, said while the school was hoping that the upcoming wave might not last for long, an adverse impact on learning gaps and social skills of children was expected. Many students in grades below 6 in the school have not returned to campus since the pandemic first started in March 2020.

“There are going to be a lot of learning and developmental gaps due to the pandemic-induced closure. Children learn a lot from their peer groups. Their social growth depends on their interaction with one another. Covering these gaps will be a big challenge whenever schools reopen,” said Sehgal.

The impact of prolonged school closure on the mental health of children is a concern that experts and stakeholders have raised time and again. Schools say that the absence of peer-to-peer interaction is impacting students who are increasingly becoming more reclusive. “Children’s mental health has been badly affected. There is a huge communication gap between parents and children. Children have become reclusive. They are confined in their shells and parents are reaching out to us to flag the changes in their personalities,” said Acharya.

Experts continue to emphasise the need for engagement with students in small peer groups. Anubha Rajesh, chair professor at Jamia Millia Islamia’s Centre for Early Childhood Development and Research, had earlier told HT that it was crucial for schools to adopt innovative ways of engagement with students. “Online teaching is not the solution but only an alternative in the prevailing situation. We have to focus on the online capacity building of teachers as well as sustain peer interaction among students. We need to build small groups of students for the improvement of their psychological and social well-being through sustained engagement so that they have support. However, once the situation improves, offline mode of learning is the best,” said Rajesh.