May 15: Some community schools that have started running online classes for their students stated that only nominal number of students were able to attend the online classes.

In a webinar organised by Education Journalists’ Network (EJON) on Thursday, community school teachers said that only a small number of students were attending the online classes.

Rita Tiwari, headmaster of Padhma Kanya Vidhyashrama, Kathmandu, said the school has been using virtual medium to deliver tasks to students rather than to run classes online. The school has been giving assignment to the secondary level students from messenger, but it could not deliver the task in such way to the basic level students. Therefore, it has been communicating with primary level students by phone.

Tiwari said the school had just been engaging available children rather than running courses smoothly for them. Heramba Raj Kandel, headmaster of the Vishwo Niketan Model School, said they were teaching grade 10, 11 and 12 students by using zoom application.

According to Kandel, only about 15 per cent students attended the classes regularly. “Many students don’t have tools like laptop and mobile phones for classes. Even if they have it, they lack access to internet and cannot afford it,” said Kandel.

Concerning the problem the school has been planning to provide the textbooks to those students by maintaining social distance.

Reshma Wagle, headmaster of Gajedi Secondary School, Dhangadhi, said virtual classes of Mathematics and Science were not possible. Though online classes are possible for grade 10, 11 and 12 students, it is not possible for junior level students.

Chandra Kala Dawadi, teacher of Saraswoti Secondary School of Manihara, Dhangadhi, said they had to share different apps and learning materials for students rather than teaching students online. She also informed that the State Ministry for Social Development had been preparing materials for radio classes.

However, Bhupati Basyal, teacher of Darlamdanda Secondary School and also central chairman of Technology Friendly Teachers’ Society, said education through online medium was possible if the teachers were well trained. Basyal asked with the government to allocate enough budget for teachers’ skill development.

source: risingnepaldaily, 15 may 2020

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