Online Classes Generate Ineffable Burden for Parents

As most of the schools affiliated CBSE and state syllabus resorted to virtual learning, guardians and educationists chart out a pros and cons of the new format. The outbreak of Covid 19 has changed the normal life of homemakers and added an extra encumbrance to teach their kids online and offline. Parents confront difficulties to make their child sit and to keep an eye on their screen during their online sessions. Mothers take more efforts to wake their children up to get attendance on time, often they wonder why their kids are not showing interest as for watching videos and playing games on their gadgets.

The survey conducted by a Media organisation on this issue proves, 89 per cent mothers are tired of the online education and some are taking another demo class to learn the gadget specifications. Raseena Razi, a working woman from Calicut, Kerala says, "she is supposed to run behind her six years old kid every day to make him sit and study for an hour. The direct teaching method, interacting sessions and peer group play a vital role to mould and reinforce the small brains than this virtual education system."

Sharing her experience, Ashwini Sharma, mother of Class VII student who studies DePaul School Mysore, said, it has been months since regular online classes have resumed. Students were enthusiastic in the beginning but now they are getting bored and stresses."

Amidst this gist, middle-class fathers have no options to recharge their mobile phones despite low income, some of them are furloughed from their work and most private sectors have reduced the salary to half since April. Mobile companies charge a good amount to get high internet bandwidth. Sometimes feeble connection bear on their kids' online class. The private schools still ask the parents to pay school fees on time without delay, most of the private schools add maintenance fees, library charges, additional fees, school building fees and etc even though schools are not functioning. Some schools have kept students outside study groups for not paying fees on time. Parents don't raise their voice against such attitude of private schools fearing set back.

Another parent, Ananya Desouza, whose son studies in class X at St. Philomena's School, Mysore said, "It is challenge allot mobile phone and laptop with internet connectivity, especially when parents are also at work from home. This has created a real dilemma in our house."

It is true that while some parents are struggling to adopt this new format of schooling, some seem happy with the virtual classroom which is keeping their kids at arms distance.

One of the school officials based in Calicut said, "We have trained our teachers to conduct online classes and provide the necessary teaching tools run a virtual classroom. However, this format cannot replace direct schooling."