Sameer Deshpande
Aurangabad, Sept 7:
India is a country where teachers are revered as gods along with the parents. Teacher's Day is celebrated on September 5 to mark the birth anniversary of professor, philosopher and second president of India Dr S Radhakrishnan. AurangabadFirst spoke to three teachers on the eve of Teacher's Day about the challenges of teaching/learning during the Corona pandemic.
Vinod Sinkar teaches Marathi to students of class 5-7 at Saraswati Bhuvan School Aurangabad. He also writes poems and short stories for children. Waiting for schools to open, students take part in online classes with enthusiasm to learn, he said. “While there are many problems for students like lack of mobile phones and network problems, to attend online classes, one advantage is that students of 3-4 classes can be taught simultaneously,” said Sinkar. Students send photos of their homework so that teachers can check the work books. Once school starts books can be checked physically, he said. Sinkar said that while he had basic knowledge of computers it has vastly improved due to online teaching.
Fortnightly tests
The SBES schools have a unique system of taking ‘fortnightly tests’ to assess the students, said Sinkar. The response of students and teachers to this project is good. The parents also ensure that their wards take tests on time, he added.
Pritaj Prasad Mhaske teaches Mathematics and Computers to class 5 at Podar International School (PIS) Beed. PIS is always looking forward for new ideas in the field of education. Mhaske said that teaching has changed drastically. Computer or mobile screens have taken the place of black boards.
Learning resources
It is challenging in online learning to give personal attention to students, but PIS uses various resources like PDFs, videos and BetweenUs App to help in online learning. The school conducts achievement tests, surprise tests and diagnostic tests to assess the learning level of students, he said. Mohammed Shahed Khan teaches English and Urdu to students of class 5-7 at Zam Zam Urdu Primary School, Rahmaniya Colony Aurangabad. “Last year was very difficult for students to adjust to online learning,” he said and added that online learning is better than nothing at all. As most students are from lower economic strata they have many difficulties. Total 30-40% attend online classes while teachers visit some students at their homes to help them, said Shahed.
Bridge course and Swadhyay App
Suppose a student missed class 4 last year the government has arranged a 45 days bridge course for them to complete the coursework requirements, said Shahed. Swadhyay App launched by the State government is helping students to study and is getting good response, he added.