School associations oppose blanket ban on online classes till Grade 2

Members of International Schools Association (MISA), Early Childhood Association (ECA) and Association for Primary Education and Research have written to the state school education minister Varsha Gaikwad on Tuesday to reconsider the blanket ban on online classes for pre-primary to Class 2 students. The associations claim there should be "No blanket ban" as it will cause academic loss to students, affect learning among kids during lockdown and also lead to teachers losing jobs.

MISA, a group of 100 international schools, highlighted that they have been conducting online on-demand classes for pre-primary kids by following norms of minimum screen time, activity based learning, adequate breaks amd stimulation for children. Rohan Bhat, member of MISA, said, "Instead of banning online classes for students till Class 2, we can work around new measures to provide e-learning for children. Schools have been providing online teaching from nursery to Grade 2 and have gained positive responses from parents. We can have 30 minute online sessions with a 10 minute break in between daily to make use of the time and resources instead of no classes at all."

In the letter, MISA highlighted, "While excessive screen time is harmful, there is no emphirical evidence that online education causes any damage. Considering social distancing norms, children will be spending more time in front of television sets, computer screens while playing video games and indulging in other entertaiment. We believe screen time is better utilised if it is used to further online education leading to a net positive impact on the child."