PUBLISHING EDUCATION
Clarity yet to emerge on making up for two years lost
Will schools reopen better ?
GIRISH ANSHUL
Schools are reopening in India since the central government has delegated all school administration and student education responsibilities to the states . The schools started on 7 February 2022 , in Delhi , Uttar Pradesh , and other states , but many doubts remain . Have the schools reopened with total capacity or half capacity , because the administrators believe that social distancing is necessary ? The schools did not have enough room for youngsters to come and sit in a social setting . And if the school is only half full , the students will have to suffer by attending virtual classes .
I spoke with some of the families in Noida and Delhi who are keen that schools reopen , and questioned them about the possible challenges . Most families are dealing with similar issues , but none has come up with a solution . According to some , the school shifts should be in the morning and evening . Others believe that all the pupils should be summoned and sanitization procedures need to be carried out . The pupils are ‘ sanitized ’ and could then sit together .
However , if any pupils have Covid- 19 , it will undoubtedly spread to the other students since the children ’ s immune systems are not as powerful . Other families state that only vaccinated pupils should be called to the school , but that is as yet not a dominant majority . Basically , no one knows how schools will start , their capacity , or what the government really intends to do about the two years that have been lost .
What should be kept in mind before opening the schools – social distancing , masks , sanitizers , and other precautions and health equipment to protect the students ? One expects that teachers may be overburdened with the course of study and may not be able to finish it on time . It is likely that the kids would come to school on alternating days , and the instructor would repeat the lesson for half the students .
Everything came to a halt in the blink of an eye due to the pandemic . Schools are reopening , which bodes well for the education and the textbook and printing industries . Many commercial printers who print school books are either waiting or moving to other segments . From the print industry ’ s point of view as well , it ’ s best to reopen the schools so that it can get back on track .
School going children sometimes suffocate in their homes since they do not see their pals daily . Lack of curriculum activities can make them sluggish , since there is no outdoor mobility , and the children are crammed into a tight area as though they do not want to see the outside world . Critics feel that they ' re just turning into lonely frogs in a well .
With a universe solely based on the internet , children are naturally wanting to browse and watch YouTube videos . While one cannot deny some of its educational possibilities , YouTube has a function that allows you to talk and search . It ' s a useful function , although it occasionally searches for strange stuff . And if a youngster is looking for some cartoon episodes and doesn ' t know how to write , they use voice search , and when the interpretation fails , YouTube opens something else .
The cell phone is always in the hands of the not-school going youngsters . Whatever task they wish to undertake , they have to carry a cell phone . They are continually chanting the term mobile . The internet and mobile technology seem to have captured all of the children ' s brains . The internet and mobile technology have grabbed the entirety of children ’ s brains and imagination . If they can ’ t locate the internet , they ' ll act like maniacs and weep like whales . Parents must place cell phones in their children ' s hands perforce .
Children display their irritation quite well . Without regular tasks , social interaction with their peers , mental challenges , and schedules , there is also the danger of children becoming depressed . This may lead to inattention to teachers while online lessons are merely a fatiguing distraction . The virtual students have new tricks , such as the voice not being audible , internet issues . Having learnt the tricks of muting the audio and video buttons , and notification and pop-ups from social media and other ads lead to new windows that seem more interesting . These are some of the challenges that may interfere with a child ' s ability to learn and study and are a concern , since youngsters focussing on a small screen for extended periods may also accelerate some of their vision challenges . n
Indian Printer & Publisher | 1 March 2022
15