NEW DELHI: Private schools have mixed views about the Delhi Model Virtual School launched Wednesday with some hoping it would increase access to education while others worried it would spur coaching culture and limit chances of developing social skills.
The National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC), a body of over 120 private schools in Delhi, said that virtual schools will “hand over school education to coaching centres on a platter”. “A school is not a place to achieve only cognitive competency. It is a happy space where socio-emotional well-being is also taken care of. Children acquire life skills like collaboration, empathy, problem-solving and media literacy which are important to succeed in life,” said NPS Chairman Sudha Acharya.
Acharya added, “We have a huge digital divide in our country. During the pandemic many children were deprived of classroom teaching.” She said that children are already leaving school after Class 10 due to the CUET with many having joined coaching and dummy schools.
According to Pallavi Upadhyaya, Principal of DPS, Rajnagar Extension, the flipside is that the attention span of students in an online class is shorter than in offline classes. “Children complain of fatigue and exhibit listlessness. Online learning has been and will be a challenge for those who cannot afford laptops or smartphones,” she said.
‘School Education will shift to coaching’
The National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC), a body of over 120 private schools in Delhi,
said that virtual schools will “hand over school education to coaching centres on a platter”