BENGALURU : With schools into the second half of the academic year, schools of CBSE and ICSE boards are gearing up to complete the syllabus. While some have completed the entire portion, others are lagging just a little behind.
State board schools, on the other hand, are faced with students and teachers who lack the necessary technology to keep up with online. As their only resort is offline classes, they are pushing for it. "We have just about three chapters left from the syllabus for class 10 students," said Sawal Das Jethani Founder and Managing Trustee, Chrysalis High in Bengaluru.
The schools, he said, are faced with a dual problem - one , in terms of clarity on which dates they need to reopen, and second, the unwillingness of parents to send their children to school till a vaccine is out. The fear is not so much about children than it is about the spread of virus among the elderly who live in the same house, he added.
A tangible fear still remains, added Mansoor Ali Khan, president, Managements of Independent CBSE Schools Association and secretary, Delhi Public School. An internal survey had revealed that 90 per cent of parents were hesitant in sending their wards. By now, children too are comfortable with online classes, said Dr Gayatri Devi, secretary, Karnataka State ICSE Schools' Association.
As for the board students of various schools, she reckons up to 65 per cent of the syllabus is completed. "The board too had laid out clear guidelines about which of the chapters were being eliminated this year, and annual plans were drawn accordingly," she said.
However, schools under the SSLC Board are buckling under. "One may say online classes are a norm now. Beyond the surface level, there is not much learning," said D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka.
He said from an internal survey of schools in the association, about 40 per cent students attend the online classes. The association has asked the Department of Public Instruction to allow them the option of offline consultative classes for class 9 to 12, with barely four months to go for the board examination.
"We have asked the government to let us hold regular classes from this month onwards instead of Vidyagama," said State High School Assistant Teachers' Association president HK Manjunath. The association has also asked the government to cut short the syllabus, with the portion just 30 per cent complete during the first half of the year (pre-Dasara).
Bangalore University establishes five task forces before reopening
BNEGALURU: To ensure a safe campus, Bangalore University has established five Task Forces to deal with Covid on campus. The recently-constituted task forces will monitor and supervise academic activities as well. The state government in its SOP for reopening of institutes, had mandated college-level and university-level task force to deal with Covid emergency.