Important to bridge academic gaps as new year begins

Anumber of city schools began the new academic session for 2022-23 on April 4, with a summer break in May and plans to reopen again in June. The students, attending offline classes after a twoyear gap, are struggling with a range of issues, including problems reading and writing, among other gaps in learning. However, parents, students, and school authorities are relieved about things finally returning to normal.

After the start of the new academic session, principals believe that bridging the gap in all aspects is the most important thing. “Whether it's emotional, social, or academic, this gap must be filled first and I'm training my teachers to play the role of a counselor,” said Dr Seema Negi, Sanjeevani World School, Mumbai.

Schools across the city are attempting to implement new methodologies to compensate for lost learning and to aid in returning to pre-Covid methods of schooling. Rohan Bhat, the chairperson of Kandivli Children's Academy, stated, “We began with the gap analysis method for students and are now beginning revision. What the students have missed and how they will fill that gap is currently being worked on.” He added that school authorities are hopeful that the students will reach a certain level of learning by the end of the month and that any shortfalls will be addressed in June.

“The actual studies will begin in July. For Grade 1, we have kept no teaching in June. They will simply settle in and continue their basic skills such as reading and writing, and actual studies will begin the next month,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Hina Desai, principal of the Birla Open Minds International School, said they believe in the holistic development of the learner hence they are focusing on co-curricular activities. like drama, dance, yoga, and music, apart from academics. “This helps kids discover their potential in fields other than academics. As for academics, the school plans subject-wise culmination to demonstrate understanding of newly acquired knowledge throughout the year. The school also arranges community connect programmes through which learners get an opportunity to connect with the environment and the society, helping them learn beyond classroom walls,” she added.

Another principal from Mumbai shares the same viewpoint on bridging the gap. Sitalakshmi Konar, principal of the Adarsh English High School, said, “Students of all grades have suffered, and for them, we will manage extra classes during the vacation which will be from April to June. This would ensure that the student is ready in June as we will have a step-by-step target to fortify the student's base.”