Shift to online teaching a step towards transparent pedagogy

The nation-wide lockdown due to Covid-19 brought with itself new challenges for the school education system. Keeping in view the health of students, most schools shut down and shifted to online mode of teaching. But the online teaching has not been formalised yet and owing to availability of various digital platforms, teachers are using different tools to conduct lectures. Institutions are still struggling to maintain standards while delivering digital education. In an interview by Neha Saini, Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) director (education) Dr Dharmveer Singh, who is also the principal of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, GT Road, says the biggest challenge is to make digital education accessible to all. Excerpts

How has the Covid pandemic changed the school education system in India?

The biggest and most significant change that has happened due to the Covid-19 pandemic is that schools had to build infrastructure for digital teaching. The concept of online classes is quite prevalent in foreign schools and colleges and many of our students, who go overseas to pursue higher education, have to adapt to that system. But it was something new for students at Indian schools. The Covid-imposed transition will make it easy for them to adapt to the digital system of teaching.

What additions have educational institutions under the CKD done to facilitate the shift towards online education?

The Chief Khalsa Diwan Trust runs 51 schools and educational institutions in the district, in both urban and rural areas. First, we conducted skill development workshop for our teaching faculty to teach them how to use various digital learning and teaching tools to facilitate the shift to digital teaching. We have also been conducting objective-type online tests for students from Class I to Class XII regularly to check their learning output.

What challenges do you face while conducting online classes for students in the rural belt?

I believe unless we make digital education accessible to all students, including those living in rural areas, the transition is incomplete and the purpose isn’t fulfilled. The most basic problem for students in the rural belt is the unavailability of smartphones and poor internet connectivity. The problem is also being faced in families where there is one phone and two or more students waiting to attend online class. To overcome this, I have asked my staff and faculty to donate any spare smartphone to such students. We have managed to arrange phones for a few needy students. The state government must also support institutions such as ours to bridge the digital gap.

How do you see the future of education system in India after the shift towards digital education?

I feel that it’s a great step towards a more transparent pedagogy. After the schools and colleges reopen, we might have to review the mechanism of education delivery as students would have become habitual to attending classes online. In my view, it will be important to maintain a balance between online classes and regular classroom teaching and adopt blended learning. If we give student the option to choose between online class and regular class, it would help us control the spread of the infection and also familiarise students with both methods of teaching.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.