Remember; the 24th of March? That was the day India imposed a Nationwide Lockdown after the increasing fears of COVID infections in India. More than three months after the first lockdown, we are still in an unlocked phase of the Lockdown with some key industries and sectors of the economy being kept under strict regulations and closures.
Going to a movie, for example, is not something any of us can enjoy for a while, but with OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, maybe it won’t make much difference to us. But there are some key Institutions like Schools and Colleges in the Education sector, which as a nation we cannot afford to maintain the status quo of total closures. They are the thought manufacturers of our nation, one way or the other we need to open them soon. But how do we do that?
How are schools in India Adapting to the COVID19 disaster?
There are mixed responses from many state governments of India on reopening schools and if so when and how? However, there are some indications that the Central Government might give clear guidelines for the reopening of schools before August 15th.
We don’t want to speculate on the dates and guidelines of schools reopening. Instead, let us reckon the facts and see what could be the best practices and strategies that might help schools sail through these uncharted territories.
Online Learning/ Activities, Pro-Active Teachers, Cooperative Parents, and Technology – Schools Strategy so far.
Schools in India are more or less successful through an immediate and proper response of Online Classes to keep students busy at home. This helps the students to keep continuing the habit of learning and interacting with his school community. They have tried and worked hard to keep that continuity and succeeded in maintaining the trust with the Parents.
The challenge before the schools is simple, they have two choices; if the schools won’t be opening anytime soon, will the present online strategy work in the long run? In the case of schools reopening soon, do they have the right hygiene strategy in place to tackle COVID19?
Contactless Attendance Tracking System, Cloud-based Libraries and Resources, Hybrid of Online Offline Classes, Safe Transportation System.
Let’s assume that schools are going to open soon, the first challenge is the paper-based materiel, like textbooks and worksheets. It is easy to spread the infection with such an exchange of books and articles. It would be wise for the schools to encourage digital devices like Tablets for the exchange of information and in school interaction.
With proper devices for students connected to regulated internet on schools, which only gives access to the academic activities, Cloud-based Libraries, and other resources could be very useful in keeping the human contact to a minimum.
Hybrid of Online and Offline Classes might be the single most efficient way of tackling COVID19 at schools. The idea is that the total number of students at school can be divided into three to four groups, each group will be alternating between offline and online classes. Managing such a thing might prove to be a difficult but viable solution to continue academic activities while keeping a check on interactions at school.
( Stay Tuned for the part-2 of the article)
Vignan schools and colleges are institutions of great significance. We have proudly contributed to the socio-economic transformation of the region. We are also humble enough to know our role in the coming years and possess the required strength and motivation to keep doing what we have been doing- innovating education and making it inclusive for everyone. We have the support from the parents and the dedication from the faculty to overcome any hurdles before us and provide the best to our students. Visit our website Vignan or Contact us at +91 97019 33455 for further details. Admissions are in progress. Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to know more about how Vignan is adapting to the COVID19 crisis and online learning
