Pandemic played havoc on academics this year

Months of lockdown and subsequent measures to curtail to spread of Covid-19 restrictions has derailed the academic sessions of schools and colleges this year. While

Months of lockdown and subsequent measures to curtail to spread of Covid-19 restrictions has derailed the academic sessions of schools and colleges this year. While private institutions quickly moved to the online platform, the digital divide proved to be a big hurdle for students in many government schools and colleges, who could not access remote lessons.

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While students who started college expressed unhappiness over diving into virtual classes without the atmosphere of the campus, those graduating lamented the job crisis brought about by the pandemic. At the kindergarten level, parents put off admissions, while many have opted for homeschooling.

Since the lockdown on March 25 to contain the coronavirus pandemic, schools across the country have remained shut for most of the year. Although online classes and television programmes were tailored for students of government schools, many were deprived of learning due to issues ranging from affordability to accessibility.

Rinki Sharma, a 17-year-old class 12 government school student, attended online classes via WhatsApp till September but struggled to keep pace with her classmates, as there was only one smartphone in the house. “I get the chance to study once my mother returns from work in the evening. Over the phone, there are many delays, and comprehension is not effective. I visit the school as and when required and find physical sessions more fruitful for understanding. However, safety continues to be a concern,” said Sharma.

Even in private schools, which were relatively better placed when it came to online classes, students missed the atmosphere of the school campus.

Aditi Mishra, the principal of Delhi Public School, Sector 45, said that while online classes were taking place smoothly, students missed physical classroom sessions and other amenities that the school campus offered. “Things will not be normal till the time children get back to school, meet their friends and can play and dance as they did earlier. We have done the best we could do online by providing every kind of experience through intraschool and intrahouse competitions and events, but there’s nothing that can replicate the human touch,” said Mishra.

She said that doubt-clearing sessions that took place with physical distancing had shown that students were missing the personal connection with teachers and classmates. “We had to keep children apart from each other during the small doubt-clearing sessions that we organised. The first instinct of children is to hug each other, but in changed circumstances, they are discouraged from doing so. The sense of normalcy is certainly missing this year,” said Mishra.

Deputy district education officer Kalpna Singh said that Covid-19 had a devastating impact on academics in government schools. She said that while physical classroom sessions for students in senior classes had begun, students in classes 1 to 8 would not get to a chance to visit schools this year.

“Coronavirus has greatly impacted education in the country. It will take a lot of time for the situation to improve. Primary and middle grades are yet to start physical classroom sessions. They did not have any in-person interaction with their teachers or classmates with the pandemic causing the closure of schools,” said Singh.

Singh said that the absence of smartphones was a grave issue across the board, but the percentage of such students was greater in primary and middle classes. “Most children in classes 9 to 12 have managed smartphones now, but children in classes 1 to 8 are facing many difficulties in the absence of phones. In these grades, many students do not have android phones. These students are being deprived of lessons and one cannot ascertain if they are able to share resources or catch up on lessons with the help of their classmates,” said Singh.

Suman Sharma, the principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 4/7, said that while teachers had put in a lot of effort in managing online and offline classes, students had reached a certain level of saturation with online classes. “While we are conducting the lessons and making preparations from our end, there is no way to understand how much students are grasping. With the year coming to an end, we have noticed that students are losing interest. Some of them are not as active as they were during the earlier months of the lockdown,” said Sharma.

College principals said that due to the pandemic, classroom and campus life are bound to be affected. Besides classrooms, canteens and students’ hostels have changed view of social distancing concerns.

“Due to restrictions and distancing needs, it could not be business as usual this year. The majority of our students are taking online classes. The safety of students continues to be our priority as we continue with classes both on and off campus,” said Dr Satyamanyu Yadav, the principal of Government College in Sector 9.

Yadav said that a personal connection was missing due to lack of interaction besides academics. “Due to the curtailment of extracurricular activities and the online-offline nature of classes, a personal connection between students and teachers is missing. Students tell us that they are feeling deprived of the campus experience. They think that they have lost a year,” said Yadav.

Educationists insist that while the lack of internet access had been a limiting factor, learning had to continue amid the pandemic while taking cognisance of the fact that the year was unprecedented in multiple ways. “Right now, private schools are having seamless online classes whereas children in the rural areas are being left behind. The lack of internet access has been a limiting factor. However, one has to recognise that this has been an unprecedented year and learning has to continue. Schools can share resources with parents to ensure that learning continues in some manner,” said educationist Gowri Ishwaran.