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HT Dialogues: Focus on parents’ role in online classes
HT webinar brings together teachers, parents, and principals to discuss the key role parents play.
Since the teaching and learning process moved online during the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of parents in the education system has also grown to become more important.
Teachers, parents, and principals got together on Thursday, December 17, for the fortnightly school edition of the HT Dialogues sessions. The discussion was centered on the role of parents in the education system and the changes it underwent during the pandemic.
The session featured Aprajita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents’ Association; Rachna Pant, principal of Ramjas School, RK Puram;, Anupama Chand, primary school head at Gyan Bharati School, Saket; Anjali Bhandari, who teaches at Maxfort School, Dwarka and Bharat Alagh, a parent whose child studies at St. Mark’s Sr. Sec Public School, Meera Bagh. The session was moderated by HT’s National Political Editor Sunetra Choudhury.
From inculcating etiquettes of online classrooms to ensuring physical activities, stakeholders on Thursday discussed the takeaways from nearly nine months of online classes and its role in the future. “Home is the first school. Parents are the first teachers. Care must be taken to ensure there are no disruptions during online classes,” said Pant.
Gautam, however said, “Many families don’t have separate spaces for the child to continue online classes. Arranging their schedule around the classes can be difficult as online classes are for long hours and often parents have to step out for their work and must prepare accordingly.”
Deriving lessons from her own experiences at Gyan Bharati School, Chand said, “In our schools, we had a child who was attending classes from a field so he turned around and showed the surroundings and the buffaloes. Another one from Kashmir showed us the Dal Lake. This can be a great learning experience for children in Delhi as well,” she said.
