THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Academic guidelines, brought out by the General Education Department ahead of school reopening on November 1, have prescribed that the initial phase should focus on providing learning support for the ongoing video and online classes and addressing the learning gaps of children.
Releasing the academic guidelines here on Wednesday, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a decision on the subjects and portions to be taught in offline mode will be decided after assessing the situation in the first two weeks after school reopening and after holding discussions with all stakeholders.
On vaccination of school staff, the General Education Minister said that 95% of the teachers and non-teaching staff have been fully vaccinated and an updated vaccination status will be available over the next two days. Most of the parents have also been administered two doses of the Covid vaccine.
On the insistence by some schools that parents should have received two doses of vaccine if they need to send children to school, Sivankutty said it was in tune with the government's stance that the entire adult population in the state should be fully vaccinated.
"The government has made unprecedented arrangements to ensure the safety of children in schools. Parents need not have any concerns. Still, if they have any concerns, they are free not to send their children to school in the initial days," Sivankutty clarified.
Academic guidelines
The academic guidelines stress the need for a scheme to address the learning gaps of children as they will not be having uniform educational standards. The classroom sessions should be used to further support digital and online education. The aim should be to bring all students back to the school environment. Students should be given the freedom to indulge in activities of their choice. Light exercises and providing books of their choice have also been prescribed.
The guidelines recommend improving the social skills of children and providing counseling to them if needed. Teachers should aim to blend online and digital learning with first-hand experiences. Library and group activities can be carried out in schools. Students who are unable to attend school can continue with video classes and online sessions.
According to the guidelines, the academic plan for November should be prepared before school reopening. The academic plan in December should be prepared after taking into account the activities carried out in November.
Other recommendations:
# Record students' academic progress in the Sahitham portal
# Give students the freedom to choose assessment text
# Use services of parents in addressing learning gaps
# Conduct house visits to understand students better and create rapport with parents