The Hindu Business Line, 1 May 2022:

“Classrooms across the country are coming to life with children returning to schools. However, the closure due to Covid-19 interrupted student’s learning abilities. This has been corroborated by field surveys carried out in some States, said Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham Educational Foundation.

For example, in West Bengal, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) found that only 27.7 per cent of children in class 3 could read class 2 level text, as against 36.6 per cent in 2018 and 32.9 per cent in 2014. About 48 percent of students in class 5 can read class 2 level text, down from 50.5 percent in 2018.

Laureate of Education Development of the 2022 Yidan Prize, the world’s highest education accolade, Rukmini talks about the learning deficiencies that students face as schools re-open now and ways to overcome it; how the hybrid model of education is not a long-term solution and why teacher training isn’t a one-size fits all formula. 

Question: As schools open up, what are the challenges children face?

Answer: In States that we work or places where we have conducted surveys, the basic reading and numerical abilities of school children have substantially reduced since the pandemic brought classroom learning to a halt for a prolonged period. We saw this and noted down the findings in our Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for West Bengal, Karnataka and some other States. 

Question: So what is the solution?

Answer: As schools open, teaching should focus primarily on the existing learning abilities of children rather than grade-level curriculum. Moreover, it is welcome that the Centre is planning to carry out a national survey of Class 3 students to assess the extent of this learning loss.

Some of the States are also doing things in their own ways, depending on age and are devising strategies accordingly to ensure that learning deficiencies are handled. For instance, in Punjab they are organizing a workshop for mothers whose children are in the pre-primary grades. Maharashtra is organising school readiness melas while Haryana is carrying out training programs from anganwaadis.

Question: Has online learning helped students?

Answer: I do not see hybrid learning to be a long term solution. This digital learning is more of a city-based phenomenon and really does not work in deep interiors of a State.

For example, follow up on assignments and home tasks are something that has been completely overlooked in the online learning system. Even in case of the hybrid model, it does not take into account the learning capability differences of students.

Here, I would like to say, the SMS-and-call follow-up model that Pratham adopted was far easier to understand learning capabilities. So we would try and send messages to students or their parents with different tasks, and then make calls to follow up on the status of those tasks.

However, not all is bad in the model. The online model of teaching has helped teachers upgrade their capabilities, and ensure better teaching modules for those who wish to experiment. So instead of a one-size-fits-all training model, where many people just go through the motions, one can look at the online one for improving teacher training.”

Read the full article here.