Question

what did jyoti parents think about
education
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Answer 1

L

The forced closure of thousands of schools across India and the subsequent shift to online education is affecting the mental health of children.

And that’s not the only issue that’s worrying. A large proportion of children do not even have access to online education.

In India, only 24% of households possess smartphones, while 11.5% of households have a computer with an Internet connection.

When schools were first shut temporarily in March as a precautionary step against COVID-19 spread, Navya — a class 9th student from Rajasthan — and many others like her were happy about not going to school, doing homework. For them, the pandemic had advanced their summer holiday, and they were excited about the prospects of extended leave.But this small bubble of happiness burst soon enough, once the nationwide lockdown got extended, and it became a reality that going back to schools won’t be possible anytime soon.

This forced closure of thousands of schools across India and the subsequent shift to online education is impacting children’s mental health.“For teachers, the first challenge is to maintain the unwavering attention of a 7 to a 9-year old child on the screen. This is exacerbated by the fact that online classes are a new learning method, implemented in the first term of the academic year. Another challenge is to ensure participation from all students and keep them 'actively' engaged for the entire duration of the virtual class, " said Sudeshna Chatterjee, Director Principal, EuroSchool Airoli.

The pitfalls of virtual classes: Lack of focus, excessive screen time