PATNA: The nationwide lockdown to contain Covid 19 outbreak has given a boost the number of online classes in Bihar. A majority of educational institutions included colleges and private schools in Patna and other parts of state have opted for online classes, for the first time.
As per a senior official of education department, approximately 10,000 educational institutions of both governemnt colleges and private colleges, are conducting online classes from March 24-the day lockdown was imposed for 21 days.
A professor of Darbhanga based college Prem Mohan Mishra started the online classes through his facebook livestreaming to the students of his chemistry department.
Mishra's initiative got a wide publicity in national and regional media and encouraged others of teaching fraternity to follow.
On Saturday, Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal also came out officially and asked the private schools for opting this kind of practice of taking online classes. "As a result of this, dozens private schools in Patna within 22 hours of appeal have started the virtual classes for 3 to 5 hours with its students",said Chandan Kumar,a teacher of private school. The Bihar education project council (BEPC) launched a mobile app named as "Unnayan-Mera Mobile Mera Vidyalaya" for classes to the students of VI to XII in the government run schools.
Ratna Singh, a renowned woman educanist cum senior teacher of Patna's premier Carmel School ,said that online classes are helping a lot to the students during the Covid 19 lockdown both covering the curriculum as well as helping them to recovering from a kind of fear psychosis gripped due to Covid 19 outbreak. Singh, wife of a senior IPS officer Dr KK Singh, has also launched her own YouTube channel called- 'Study With Ratna' (SWR).
She is taking online classes and have encounraged many others for opting it. Recently honoured as the most dedicated teacher by students for last three years by the students of her school because of being always guiding through such digital platform,she said that time slots have been fixed for it in which tutoring as well as material sharing are completed.
Dr Ravi K Sinha ,head of department of PG department of English in RN College at Hajipur, said that online classes are being conducted by him and other teachers to the senior students of English literature almost everyday to complete the syllabus before the examination.
Besides them, classes are also being taken for the students of govt run schools through radio broadcasting now. The Bihar Education Project Council has booked a slot on AIR as well the Doordarshan to such classes. Shivam Thakur, a student of engineering ,said that online classes are helping a lot for completing the course remaining at home under the lockdown period.
The better power position and availablity of fast 4G internet networks even in the remotes parts of state have proved conducive to taking online classes.