For the poor, online learning a big obstacle
MUMBAI:VIKRAM Adsul, a teacher from a Zilla Parishad School in Karjat Ahmednagar, is having busier days since the lockdown led to closure of schools in March. Adsul’s school, nested in a small village called Bandgar Vasti, has students from the Dhangar community, many of whom have no access to mobiles and internet. “While many schools have smoothly transitioned from offline to online, students like ours who already struggle to get access to education are finding it difficult to adapt. Many do not have smartphones, and even the ones who have them have no internet range. We have to talk to the students or meet them every few days to keep their morale high in addition to teaching,” said Adsul.
As the uncertainty around physical reopening of schools continues with rising number of Covid-19 cases, online learning has become the new normal for schools across the country. However, for lakhs of underprivileged students, online learning might be no learning, say experts.
Data from the state education department early this month shows more than 26% students in Maharashtra do not have access to mobile phone; which can act as a big barrier in online learning.
“In remote parts of the state and the country, we cannot sustain the online-only model for a long time. Children need schools not just for actual studies but also to have a conducive environment for learning and growing,” said Hemangi Joshi, an RTE activist.
BARRIERS BEYOND ACCESS
While issues regarding access are a key concern, experts say it is just the tip of the iceberg. Even in cases where students have access to phones or internet, their parents who come from low income groups with little or no education are likely to find it difficult to support their learning at home.
Padma Sarangapani, chairperson, Centre for Education Innovation and Action Research at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), said a lot of the responsibility for a child’s learning will now depend on parents.
“The question is whether parents have the time, bandwidth and orientation to support their children’s learning, and whether the schooling system can put into place a system of supporting parents to learn and access resources for their children,” she added.
Chetna Duggal, project director at the School Initiative of Mental Health Advocacy at TISS, said migration and resultant emotional distress among low income households due to the pandemic has an impact on the child’s well-being, thereby affecting learning. “Witnessing and experiencing parental distress, financial crisis, undergoing transitions, disruptions of routine, lack of safe spaces and inability to meet peers can have deep psychological impact on children. This can interfere with their capacity to pay attention, concentrate and engage with learning and developing new skills” she added.
Duggal is spearheading an initiative which aims to support emotional well-being of students by training and sensitising school leaders, teachers and counsellors.
THE WAY AHEAD
While the state education department has announced the commencement of the academic year 2020-21 from June 15, the reopening of physical schools is likely to take a couple of more months. Sarangapani said the most important thing that schools need to do now is to not expect pedagogical outcomes from parents. She also suggested setting up resource libraries accessible to parents.
Rajkiran Chavan, a teacher from Solapur, said a group of 45-odd teachers have decided to prepare a video resource library for students across the state.