Page 63 - EducationWorld Oct 2021

Somya Nand: urgent reopening call Aaisha Shaikh: teachers trauma

March 2020 and mandated a switch don’t own computers, laptops and tab- initially as a necessary evil to safeguard
to online schooling, most BPS teach- lets and were forced to use their low- children against the deadly Corona-
ers were unprepared and untrained end smartphones for conducting online virus, and the accumulated learning
to manage the sudden shift to digital classes. This caused stress and strain damage suffered by youngest children,
education. Many were unfamiliar with as basic smartphones don’t support has prompted re-thinking on the sub-
digital devices, nor could they afford long-duration video classes. Employer ject. Particularly since evidence has
high-speed broadband connectivity to schools can’t purchase digital gadgets emerged that children are less suscep-
sustain five-six hours of daily online for teachers because large numbers of tible to the Covid virus and primary-
classes. An estimated 100,000 teach- parents haven’t paid fees. FIRST Kar- secondaries abroad (the UK, France
ers are employed in the city’s 20,000 nataka has made several appeals to the and US) restarted normative schooling
unaided private schools, and excluding government to sanction zero interest several months ago. With the Central
a few hundred working in top-ranked loans for teachers to buy digital gadgets and state governments doing precious
CBSE/CISCE/international schools, for online classes. But to no avail. Ditto little to fund development of digital in-
the majority are poorly remunerated all our appeals to IT companies to help frastructure in government schools,
(Rs.10,000-15,000 per month vs. private unaided school teachers. It’s a pandemic relief packages pointedly ex-
Rs.25,000-Rs 45,000) for government shame that the city’s rich IT compa- cluding private school managements,
primary school teachers) and unable nies didn’t come forward to provide and the digital divide between urban
to afford computers/laptops and hi- any assistance to teachers who went middle class children and the rest
speed Internet connectivity. According out of their way to continue the learn- getting wider, informed opinion is in
to Aaisha Shaikh, Bengaluru-based ing of children during the pandemic,” favour of primary-secondary schools
secretary of the recently registered says Shaikh, principal of Sathwik Vidya reopening asap.
(February 2021) Federation of Inde- Mandir, a state board-affiliated school “The switch to online schooling has
pendent Recognised School Teachers in Bengaluru. widened the education divide between
(FIRST), Karnataka, unaided pri- India’s prolonged lockdown of Bengaluru’s rich and poor. Only edtech
vate school teachers, especially BPS schools for over 60 weeks — the lon- companies have benefited from online
teachers, ordered to teach from home gest worldwide — although welcomed education. And instead of helping state
without provision of connectivity and
digital devices by hard-pressed school Bengaluru’s digital education chasm
managements, have suffered trauma 720,000
Students
and financial loss. million without Internet
1.8
“ PUBLIC AND MEDIA atten- schools
connectivity
No. of
tion during the pandemic
was mainly focused on chil-
Total
dren and the learning loss students
540,000
Private: 5,421;
they suffered because of schools closure Government: 1,081 Students without
and lack of digital connectivity. But smartphones/
what about teachers, particularly BPS tablets/computers
teachers who have suffered because
of shutdown of schools? The majority Source: Department of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka

OCTOBER 2021 EDUCATIONWORLD 63