There is no match to Conventional classroom education

Irrespective of sincere attempts by educational institutions in using all available means to bridge the gap induced by the outbreak and following restrictions inflicted upon the structure of learning and teaching, a hardcore educationist like Nanak Singh, Principal of Guru Teg Bahadur College For Women, finds it a mere formality. He has been an educationist with the college for the past nearly four decades.

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In a conversation with Neeraj Bagga, he, however, is all praise for the Information Technology which kept entire world connected during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Q: How has your college been tackling the challenges posed by Covid-19?

A: Initially, there were plenty of problems like many students neither had PCs not smartphones. Students somehow made arrangements but then network issues and costly net packs took a toll. Not all teachers were computer literate. So the faculty of Computer Department taught them the nuances of computer and now entire the faculty of the college is computer literate. Now, half of the syllabus of the academic session 2020-21 has been completed.

Q. How did you carry out the process of online examination?

A. The students of the second and fourth semesters were promoted without any exam. However, the exit exams of all graduate and post graduate classes were taken as per the guidelines of the Guru Nanak Dev University. Ten minutes before the commencement of the examination the college received online question papers from the university and the same were forwarded to the students through separate WhatsApp groups and the students revert with answers in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The PDF answer sheets were then printed and checked by the faculty in the college. So classroom test format was limited and online formalities were completed.

Q: Do you think the digital shift, especially in colleges, is here to stay?

A. There is no substitute to classroom teaching. Digital online class is a stop-gap arrangement in which students can become insincere by switching off the audio, hoodwink teachers by pretension. Eye contact of students and teachers is vital for imparting teaching. Internet connectivity, availability of electricity and affordability of computer will always remain suspicious.

Q: How were the admissions this year?

A. Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College for Women is being run in the walled city and is situated close to the Golden Temple. A large number of young women whose family can not afford transportation and education expenses in colleges, situated on the outskirts of the city and in civil line areas prefer to teach them there. As a fall out of the pandemic, nearly 15 percent decline in the admission was recorded in this session.

Q: What infrastructural changes have been made for the digital sessions?

A: The entire faculty was made computer literate and pedestal cameras were promptly procured to provide online education through blackboard to students. The faculty needs to be lauded for carrying out the activities deftly. So, we neither carried out any retrenchment nor reduction in salary.

Q: What will be your concern once the classroom teaching begins?

A: Safety is most important. The students will attend the school after a long time and maintaining social distancing will be an onerous task. We are contemplating modalities to hold classes. Like splitting a class with the student strength not exceeding 20 students. I anticipate that the parents will not also take risk in sending their children.

Q: What’s your opinion on New Education policy (NEP)?

A: The NEP is still on paper. No doubt, the policy is very ambitious. Its success will depend on whether it is implemented with resources and infrastructure.