ONCE SCHOOLS REOPEN, HELP CHILDREN RECONNECT
This too will pass. In a few months, schools will open again. What will it be like when schools open? What should be the first set of priorities?
Looking past the disruption of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis, I can see an opportunity to do things in a new way. When schools open, it will be the most anticipated school opening of all time. School reopening will be a clear announcement that daily schedules of life can resume.
Schools can restart in several ways. It can be “business-as-usual”. Worse, the system can go into an “accelerated” mode, trying to cram in all the things that did not happen since March. But what is needed is a time for welcome and a period to settle down. This is not just any “back-to-school” moment. This should be treated as the start of a brand new chapter.
Children need to reconnect with friends. Teachers need time to understand the impact of school closure on where children currently are — socially, emotionally, and academically. Helping them to settle in and “catch up” will go a long way towards rebuilding foundations. While the urban educated have been able to support their children’s learning activities through the lockdown, this has been difficult for less educated and poorer parents. The pre-covid-19 era evidence pointed to unsatisfactory learning levels. School closures are likely to have aggravated the situation and weakened the ability of children to read or to do basic arithmetic. Putting aside the usual age-grade curriculum and focusing on foundational skills, for a few hours for the first few months, will be an excellent way to start the school academic year.
The economic blow to families is likely to worsen. The vulnerable become more disadvantaged. Ensuring continuous and steady attendance in school is a must for a real return to normalcy. Girls in upper-primary grades will be susceptible to being pulled out especially those who have reached class 7 or 8 but are not academically strong. Poor parents may be tempted to withdraw such girls from school. We need “beti padhao”, but more than that, we need “beti padhey” and “padhtey rahe”.
While the media has been preoccupied in discussing the pros and cons of online education, in the last eight weeks, Pratham has been involved in an interesting adventure. We have been sending phone messages to parents in 11,000 villages and urban slums, with engaging activities for children to do that day. It started with Whatsapp messages, but quickly, reviewed this since many children did not have access to smartphones. SMS messages were developed and delivered daily. Thanks to pre-existing relationships in these communities, we are also able to call parents and children once a week. Families send back videos and photos of their children’s handiwork; they also phone us frequently to share experiences. This two-way communication provides excellent feedback. We have learned that parents participate in activities that they can engage with, and that discussion and follow-up result in enthusiastic involvement, even from parents who are not highly educated themselves. Parents have played a very central role in the lockdown period. Schools must recognise their contribution and support. It will be important to keep parental participation high even after schools open.
The year 2020 is not a year for ambitious learning targets; nor is it a year for moving rapidly through what is already recognised as an overambitious curriculum. The new 2020 school year should be spent in reconnecting, settling down, “catching” up, rebuilding foundations and in enjoying school. We must do this to ensure that our children emerge strong and ready for tackling the 2021-22 school year.