Online studies particularly ineffective for children: Study
   Date :17-Nov-2020

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Special Correspondent :
 
Raipur,
 
The study, therefore, points to the urgent need to reopen schools in a phased manner with adequate provisions for the health and safety of both children and teachers in the public school system 
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruptions in all walks of life. Schools, colleges and all other academic institutions have been forced to look for alternatives to ensure continuity in learning. In the past six months, across the world, various digital or ICT-based learning options have been explored. Most of these options have proved to be sub-optimal, pedagogically unsound and inadequate substitutes of face-to-face interactions.
 
For school-going children, these have been particularly ineffective due to the deeply intimate nature of learning that is needed in the formative years of schooling. Not only that, the lack of access to devices and infrastructure has led to several children being left out from the process of learning. Emerging evidence also reveals that the endorsement of online learning solutions is often closely tied to the influence of market-based solutions, commercialisation of education, and a lack of belief and investment in the professional capacity of teachers. With this backdrop, the Field Research Group at the Azim Premji Foundation undertook a study covering 1,522 teachers (in 1,522 schools) and 398 parents in the public school system across 26 districts in five states.
 
These schools have more than 80,000 children from the most disadvantaged geographies across India. The objective of the study was to understand the challenges experienced by children and teachers in the implementation of online learning solutions within the public school system. The study also reveals that contrary to popular beliefs, most parents are eager to send their children to schools with necessary health safeguards and do not think that health of their children would be affected in such an event. Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are the states that have been implementing different forms of online teaching in public schools while Karnataka and Uttarakhand have not implemented any state-level initiatives for online teaching. Online learning opportunities are ineffective in providing any actual education. Responses of overwhelming majority of the teachers show the complete inadequacy of delivering meaningful education through the online mode.
 
More than 80% teachers expressed the impossibility of maintaining an emotional connect with children in this mode. More than 90% teachers responded that no meaningful assessment of children’s learning was possible in online classes. Almost 50% teachers reported that children were unable to complete assignments shared during online classes, which in turn led to serious gaps in learning. The data collected on both the frequency and duration of online classes suggests inadequate time spent with children for their learning. Parents have, likewise, echoed their own dissatisfaction with 70% being of the opinion that online classes are not effective for the learning of their children. Almost 60% children cannot access online learning opportunities. Reasons for this varied from absence of a smartphone, multiple siblings sharing a smartphone, difficulty in using the Apps for online learning, etc.
 
The issue of access is further exacerbated for children with disabilities. Among teachers of children with disabilities in their regular classes, more than 90% found them unable to participate in online classes. Parents have overwhelmingly supported reopening of schools with the necessary safety protocols. Almost 90% of the parents were willing to send their children to school with necessary health safeguards. Close to 65% were of the opinion that schools, when they reopen, would not pose a problem for their children’s health. The inadequacy of the digital modes adopted by some of the states has also led state education departments backtracking on the online options and adopting more direct teaching-learning processes, with teachers visiting the families and school children, for example, Padhai Tuhar Para (education in your neighbourhood) scheme in Chhattisgarh; Hamara Ghar - Hamara Vidyalaya (our home - our school) in Madhya Pradesh and; Vidyagama in Karnataka. This also resonates with the finding of the study that indicates that parents are both dissatisfied with online learning solutions and eager to have their children back in school with necessary safeguards for their health and well-being.
 
The study, therefore, points to the urgent need to reopen schools in a phased manner with adequate provisions for the health and safety of both children and teachers in the public school system. It also suggests the need to adopt context-based, direct teaching-learning solutions with the physical presence of teachers during the transition period of the reopening of public schools.