Parents worry over web classes norms All schools have been ordered to follow NCERT syllabus
After the announcement of guidelines for online classes for the commencement of the academic session from September 1 by the state government, parents and teachers, from both private and government schools, have expressed concerns.
The order by the state’s school education department said the council of ministers had approved the commencement of admission and start of online classes for school students in an online format using platforms like TV, V-SAT, etc.
Teachers will be required to attend school regularly from August 27 and prepare e-content, lesson plans for classes from September 1, said the order. A cap on the time for classes has also been put in place.
All government, aided and private unaided schools have been ordered to follow the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) Pragyata guidelines for digital education, which suggest not more than
45 minutes of digital classes for kindergarten, nursery, playschool and pre-school pupils for three days a week in the presence of an adult.
For Classes 1-12, schools will have to follow an alternative academic calendar prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for online classes. For Classes 1-5, not more than two sessions of 30-45 minutes each will be conducted for five days a week. Classes for students of grades six to eight will be conducted in not more than three sessions of
30-45 minutes for five days. Four sessions of 3045 minutes each will be conducted for Classes nine-12 for five days per week.
At the village level, headmasters and teachers will plan lessons depending on local conditions, to reach out to all students, using various platforms and modes of e-learning, through existing communication networks.
Responding to this, members of the Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA), and parents of private schools’ pupils have questioned the validity of these guidelines. “What is the spirit of these guidelines when no action has been taken on the violation of guidelines under GO 46 of the state government by private schools? How will the new guidelines be implemented on the ground,” asked a parent.
On the other hand, government school teachers have requested state authorities to shift all Covid-19 testing centres from government schools to make premises safe to work in. A representation by the Telangana Progressive Teachers’ Federation, a government schools teachers union, said that there are more than
30 schools that are
Covid-19 testing centres in Hyderabad district.
Teachers say that contagious biowaste like swabs, masks in the school premises will be threat to lives of staffers going to schools to attend the ongoing programmes being run by the government.
No decision has been taken yet on the re-opening of schools and recommencement of regular classes. Separate instructions will be issued by the government of India on this and until then, all schools and other educational institutions, remain physically closed for students, the education department said.