Karnataka schools may resume Vidyagama if COVID situation worsens, draft guidelines created

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KEY STORY

  • The resumption of the Vidyagama programme is on the cards with the education department drafting an outline for alternate education for this academic year, should the COVID situation get worse in the state.
  • The department has created draft guidelines, said the commissioner of public instruction Vishal R, talking to TNIE. “It has been created so people are aware of what needs to be done in case the Technical Advisory Committee gives its approval and a shutdown is declared subsequently.”
  • The department of public instruction has asked all schools in Bengaluru to stop classes from pre-primary to class 9. Following this, there were demands for alternate methods of teaching which were not necessarily the online or virtual mode.
  • The department’s draft guidelines advise all district implementation officers of the education department to give necessary instructions to school heads for implementing Vidyagama.
  • The move is to keep children from being victims of social ills such as child marriage and child labour, and prevent further dropouts.
  • Students will be divided into three groups — those with no gadgets and hence will be taught only offline, those with phones but no internet, and those with internet and gadgets. Kids from the last two categories will be allowed to attend online classes if they’re unable to participate offline.
  • Each teacher will mentor a cohort of 20-25 students. The groups will meet for four hours a day anywhere between daily to once a week. The schedule for the next week will be provided and students will be guided for self study. Doubts will be cleared.
  • A self-help group volunteer will help the teacher in conducting classes.
  • The volunteer’s gadget can be used to effectively teach concepts to students during the classes.
  • Teachers are expected to maintain a ‘child profile’ to maintain a progress log of students.
  • Local organisations are to be roped in at rural areas to provide sanitisers and masks to students.

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