BENGALURU: Primary school teachers have urged the government to start offline classes and midday meals for student beneficiaries at the earliest. The association said there are thousands of schools with less than 25 students and with at least four to five classrooms. “Such schools can begin classes with Covid norms in place, ensured by the overseeing committee members and head teachers,” the teachers said.
“It would not be wrong to say that for 15 months, some students did not even know about the (academic) activities taking place on television, radio or online. Malnutrition would be more than 25 per cent among children. Some of them have been involved in illegal activities too,” they said.
The Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association has asked for one day each in a week to be dedicated to students of Classes 1, 2, 3, 4 and two days each for those from Classes 5,6, 7 and 8. Teachers claimed their hard work was the reason for increase in admission rates, as they printed pamphlets and went to every lane convincing parents. “We made announcements through loudspeakers on vehicles. All this, added to the efforts of higher education officials and the success in discussions with various organisations, has led to the increase in admissions,” they said.
However, they rued that parents and students have been through 15 months of confusion. “Moreover, technology has been catering to only 35 per cent of students to continue (academic) practice. Primary students have higher levels of distractions even when teachers are standing in front of them and teaching. Hence, classes through television, radio, online and other mediums are suitable only for students beyond primary school.”
No. of smart classrooms will increase to 8,500
Bengaluru: Smart classrooms in the state will be increased to 8,500 in the current year and of this, 2,500 have been already launched, Minister of Higher Education Ashwath Narayan announced on Saturday. He was talking at an event for distribution of free Tablet PCs to students of Malleswaram government first grade college.
A computer lab was also inaugurated at the college.To facilitate digital learning, 1.10 lakh laptops were distributed for degree students in the last year by spending Rs 330 crore, he said, iterating that the government was prioritising digital education, and ensuring that students’ health would not be compromised during the pandemic. In the current academic year, about 1.6 lakh Tablet PCs are being distributed to college students, he added.