In some parts of the country, students have returned to school. In other parts, children start school for the first time this academic year to sit for their exams. There was a sense of some normalcy returning to their lives. However, in other parts of the country schools continue to remain shut. How will this impact kids and their learning?
In UP, Bihar, Haryana, and some other places, primary schools are restarting from 1 March. In Delhi, most students of classes nine and eleven are doing their exams in-person even if the schools have not reopened fully. Schools are largely following the directives issued by the state and conducting offline exams.
The students are understandably nervous about going to school after almost one year. They are more nervous about having to sit for and actually write a three-hour paper. Online learning has been a poor substitute for the classroom setting and online exams have been an even poorer substitute. Previous exams this academic year have been far easier and let’s face it; kids found it really easy to cheat.
Some would say it is unfair that students are expected to sit for regular exams when the quality of learning has been so poor this past year. However, there are arguments in favour of offline classes and exams: schools and kids have to start somewhere after all. Further, exams this past year have been eyewash. Papers were easy and cheating was rampant. Most students found it all too easy to cheat and this was a temptation that most didn’t try to resist. To get at least a reasonably fair assessment, the exams need to be conducted in person.
With the announcement of the start of the vaccination process, there was a great sense of optimism and relief among people. Add to this the fact that news reports of India reaching herd immunity were circulating too. The result was that many became lax and started to disobey COVID safety protocols and a fresh spike in COVID infections.
This means that local authorities have restored some of the curbs imposed during lockdown. For instance, Pune has reimposed night curfew and schools and colleges remain shut. Those who travel into Pune need to produce a COVID-negative certificate. Delhi will soon do the same for travellers coming in from states such as Kerala, Punjab and Maharashtra among others.
So what happens to kids now required to go to school, perhaps in buses or other forms of transport, sitting in close proximity with scores of others for many hours of the day? While those kids may remain asymptomatic, they could end up passing on infections to other, more vulnerable people at home.
While schools will likely start with the best intentions; putting social distancing and sanitising protocols in place, this will soon lose steam as most things do after a time. When schools start to function at full strength, this will not even be possible.
On the flip side, however, is a lack of normalcy and structure in the lives of students. The online setting means daily routines have gone for a toss and kids loll in bed playing games while their teachers drone on. We have seen that precious little learning took place. The isolation has taken a big toll on mental and physical health as well.
So what really is the solution? Well, perhaps kids can be given the option of attending their classes online or offline. The classes held in person can be streamed for those opting for online classes. This way kids are not compelled to attend offline classes if family health and circumstances make it difficult for them to do so.
Meanwhile, systems can be put into place to inoculate kids in school as and when possible. I remember receiving some vaccinations in school after getting a consent form signed by my parents. This may be a good delivery system to get the vaccine out to the general public. And this will bring kids closer to living their normal, structured full lives --- as they did before COVID.
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