It’s about time to reopen schools

It’s about time to reopen schools

Children must return to schools to gain a sense of normalcy, to bridge the content-specific learning gap

Sonal.Srivastava@timesgroup.com

27.12.2021

After being shut for almost two years, schools are now gradually reopening across the country. There has been a massive learning loss, hence students must return to the physical classes to let teachers remedy it. They also need to return to schools for their mental and physical well-being, extracurricular and co-curricular learning, which often take a backseat during online classes.

Children have also developed a lackadaisical attitude towards classes and exams. “We are noticing that many children have become obese; parents also have to go back to their workplaces as the offices are reopening. We have to learn to live with the pandemic, closing the schools cannot be the solution to overcome pandemic-related problems. Peer interaction is also important for children’s all-round development,” says Jyothi Menon, head of school, Ekya School, ITPL Bengaluru.

Though virtual learning has ensured that the learning of students doesn't stop, but it cannot create a strong bond between students as a traditional classroom does. “Physical school also provides numerous opportunities for students to hone their skills in the co-scholastic arena, collaborate with their peers and build a sense of connectedness,” says Bonny Bhansali, principal, The Green Acres Academy, Chembur, Mumbai, elaborating that students are missing out the chance to connect informally with their classmates and teachers be it during the break or the sports period. Teachers have also had a difficult time juggling personal and professional responsibilities, but largely they have benefitted from adopting digital technology. Bhansali says that this is a great time for all schools to adopt 'agile' approaches. “An agile or improvement science approach allows us to continuously improve through cycles of planning - implementing - reflecting. This is especially important in uncertain, complex, and fast-changing situations, which we are in now,” she says, adding that schools can plan for a short term and reopen in a staggered manner.

Talking about the studies conducted over the past year to assess the learning loss, Ted Mockrish, head of school, Canadian International School, Bengaluru, says that it is important for students to return to their cohort of classmates, as they provide support to closing content-specific gaps.