Question

The pandemic has forced schooling to move online. But the burden of digital
inequality has fallen on the great majority of children who do not have access
to smartphones, let alone laptops, or the internet. But is there no alternative to
virtual classrooms? Several initiatives by teachers and communities
demonstrate that it is possible for governments and communities to design
solutions that take the last child along.
In Karnataka, the ‘Vatara Shaale’ model of community is quite popular. It is a
model of community schooling where community spaces like temples,
courtyards and prayer halls are used to teach children in small groups, with
social distancing norms in place. It began when a group of government school
teachers sought to create a pandemic classroom that was inclusive. Like in
many states, only about 30 percent of children in the state have digital access.
There are many other issues like caste and gender discrimination in the
villages. This makes it highly possible that these young children from
impoverished families get sucked into child labour or child marriage, thus
painting a rather grim picture for the future of our country. In Sikkim, a Math
teacher’s concern for the students of her village led her to visit them at their
home for short lessons that ensure they don’t fall off the learning grid. The

[KMBVM/FME – 2021-‘22/CLASS IXI] 2
local administration of a village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has allowed teachers
to broadcast English lessons through loudspeakers. These states have devised
learning programmes to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.
These examples are indeed a glimmer of hope in our education system. They
show that schools and teachers exist in a community and are more responsive
to the needs of that community and are doing a fair job of universalizing
education. Many teachers used the disruption of the pandemic to come up with
solutions that are adapted to their environments and local needs. They have
placed the concerns of children who might be left behind as their top priority,
which is sure to benefit their students.


Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
(A) The government school teachers are untrained to cope with the
pandemic situation
(B) The government school teachers have come up with innovative
techniques
(C) Most students in the country have good digital access
(D) Most teachers don’t have access to smartphones so they use innovative
methods

Why are schools and teachers able to meet community requirements?
(A) They exist in the community and are more attuned to its needs and
wants
(B) They get their salaries because the work in community schools
(C) They follow all instructions given by the Central and State governments
(D) They are innovative and creative educators who teach well

Which practices in rural areas are not that prominent in urban areas?
(A) Social distancing and communal schooling
(B) Caste and gender discrimination
(C) Innovative methods of teaching
(D) Supportive parents and schools

Answer 1

Gabriel García Márquez, (born March 6, 1927, Aracataca, Colombia—died April 17, 2014, Mexico City, Mexico), Colombian novelist and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, mostly for his masterpiece Cien años de soledad (1967; One Hundred Years of Solitude