Teachers concerned over academic session disruptions

With schools set to remain shut till the first week of December, teachers have raised concerns over its adverse impact on the learning process, and said that assessing

With schools set to remain shut till the first week of December, teachers have raised concerns over its adverse impact on the learning process, and said that assessing and evaluating students’ progress through online classes is becoming difficult.

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Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Saturday had said that schools in the state will remain shut for 10 more days in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Previously, the state education department had ordered the closure of all government and private schools in Haryana till November 30 as Covid-19 cases among school students started to spike, after physical sessions for classes 9 to 12 had resumed on November 2.

Suman Sharma, principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 4/7, said that teachers had expressed concerns about the closure of schools at a time when the syllabus was nearing the end. “This period is very crucial for students in classes 10 and 12. This session will not be declared as a zero session and board exams will definitely take place. While we are conducting the lessons and preparations from our end, there is no way to understand how much students are grasping. We have also noticed that students are losing interest and not responding to calls as they did during the earlier months of the lockdown,” said Sharma.

She said that teachers are worried about poor results due to the disruption in lessons. “Usually, written practice sessions are conducted during this time of the year, ahead of the exams. If students were visiting school, we would have motivated them to take the exams seriously and prepare accordingly. While the bright students are taking an interest, we fear that slow learners might not be able to perform well,” said Sharma.

She said that the school had planned to conduct mock exams and that the closure has forced them to look for online alternatives.

Manjubala Bhardwaj, who teaches English to class 11, said that some students were not actively involved due to technological problems. “Some students have been facing access issues due to the lack of smartphones at home. They are facing a loss,” said Bhardwaj.

She said that physical classroom sessions would have helped in keeping students motivated. “Every year, we provide additional hand-holding support to students through multiple revisions and tests. Replicating the same online is not always possible. We are in a precarious situation since both, health and studies, are important,” said Bhardwaj.

Shyam Raghav, the principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhondsi, said that his staff members remain in favour of opening schools, while taking precautionary measures. “Teachers are devoted to lessons and worried about the impact on results. The academic year is nearing the end and even students are getting fed up now. Students were motivated during physical classroom sessions due to a competitive spirit but with individual online learning, slow learners might fall behind,” said Raghav.