Return of students to physical classrooms has suffer a major setback in the last few weeks with the country witnessing a second wave of Covid-19 cases. Set of lockdowns seems imminent, with no telling when the situation will be back under control.
Government and educational institutions do want to facilitate a return to offline classes.
The delay gives them more time to formulate a better way for ensuring a safer transition back to physical classrooms.
Many may ask the question whether a return is necessary because e-learning has been on the rise during the pandemic as the future of education.
E-learning does a great job of supplementing offline education.
Why India cannot do without physical classrooms?
The digital medium can’t replace the interpersonal interactions that schools follow by bringing together children from different backgrounds and cultures.
School act as a melting pot of ideas and perspectives that serves to broaden the learners’ perspective.
Interacting between classes also help students develop their social skills essential to their growth and development.
Even developed countries such as the US have faced challenges with ensuring quality education to learners during the pandemic.
India might fare even worse if offline learning isn’t resume soon.
Challenges for Return of Physical Classrooms
Government, educational institutions, and regulatory bodies will need to ensure that the return to physical Classes does not damage the health and safety of the students.
A phase-wise increasing the numerical size of the classrooms, with staggered and rotational policies, could be a prospective solution.
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