Coimbatore: With offline courses being postponed for students up to grade VIII due to the spread of the new Omicron variant, private schools are planning to switch to online mode again to ensure the learning process is not affected.
According to private school principals, resuming offline lessons will be crucial if Omicron stays longer.
The school education department will build on the recently launched Illam Thedi Kalvi program to bridge the learning gap between students in grades I to VIII.
Although online classes yielded limited results, students in lower grades continued to participate in academic activities until offline classes resumed in November. This was not the case in public schools where students had to rely on textbooks and the Kalvi Tholaikatchi curriculum.
Students in lower grades in public schools face serious learning gaps. For example, a child who was in class 1 in 2019-2020 is now in class III after half of class I and all of class II spent at home due to confinement. “But the past two months have been useful for teachers to bond with students, through offline lessons,” said a teacher from the Ukkadam government.
Many students couldn’t recognize their teachers when offline classes resumed in November. “But the void has been filled. This is likely to help us in the next few days even if there is no offline course. But only offline lessons can help public school students learn effectively, ”the teacher said.
Education director N Geetha said the department relied on the Illam Thedi Kalvi program for public school students to track academic activity. While the selection of volunteers for the program is in the final stages in many locations, it will be streamlined in the coming weeks.
Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association chairman R Visalakshi said it would be too early to predict a prolonged lockdown, as restrictions are only announced until January 10. “We have to wait at least until the end of January. We can resume classes if Omicron calms down and even otherwise we can restart online classes to follow the academic activity of lower grade students, ”he said.