Most private schools to stay in offline mode in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, may 13

Changing its earlier decision of either declaring summer break or switching to online mode, the government announced that schools can continue with offline mode with changed timings.

Regular classes have already been hit badly due to the pandemic and children have just got used to offline classes. It doesn't make much sense to switch over to online classes for 15 days. Also, the changed timings ensure that by the time day temperature soars, children are back home, indoors. Shivani Sharma, a mother of two

We are still waiting for further instructions. We as

well as parents would want to continue in offline mode. Also, given that the CBSE boards are on, exams are conducted between 10 am and 1 pm, and we have around 800 students taking it. So, we are anyways forced to take regular classes for our students in batches, which means the learning is suffering. Upasna Mehra, Principal, The Senior Study II

The latest notification by the Punjab Government to continue offline classes from May 16 to May 30 with changed timings has come as a respite to schools and parents. The preponing of summer vacations from May 16 due to extreme weather conditions was being opposed by parents and even school managements were in a fix as going back to online mode for 15 days seemed unreasonable.

The schools, both government and private, were being run with changed timings since May 2 with primary/ elementary classes’ timings from 7 am to 11 am and for middle/ senior classes from 7.30 am to 12.30.

A majority of parents of private school students have consented to continue with offline classes with changed timings, making private school hold the decision to announce early summer break.

Most private schools in the city have already asked parents to give their consent to run offline classes with changed timings instead of an early summer break.

“We are still waiting for further instructions. We as well as parents would want to continue with offline classes. Also, given that the CBSE boards are going on, exams are conducted between 10 am and 1 pm, and we have around 800 students taking it. So, we are anyways forced to take regular classes for our students in batches, which means the learning is suffering already,” said Upasna Mehra, Principal, The Senior Study II.

Manjot Dhillon, director, Mount Litera Zee School, said it’s practically impossible to go back to online classes. “The latest notification states that we can continue with offline classes with changed timings or announce early summer break. We have decided to continue with offline classes with changed timings as most parents want the same. Experiential education has already suffered a lot due to the pandemic. Holistic education is not possible with online classes and so the offline school will continue, of course, keeping children’s health in mind.”

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