The government’s decision to declare midterm holidays for government, aided and unaided schools following the State board syllabus has received mixed reactions from parents, teachers and other stakeholders.
Many schools said they had already planned midterm exams and what portions would be covered for October following the government’s initial decision to cancel midterm holidays, while others argued that online classes for a limited number of hours every day should be allowed to make up for lost time.
Teachers and parents expressed concern over whether portions will be covered in time. A teacher, who did not want to be named, said that there were many institutions that followed the State board and CBSE and/or ICSE under different sections. “This decision will create a lack of uniformity among the boards. Parents may also worry as one set of students will not have any classes while their peers in other boards will continue learning online,” the teacher said.
C.A. Ramesh of Suma Public School in the city, while welcoming the decision said that online classes for two hours a day should have been permitted so that children don’t lose their focus.“Parents can keep their children constructively and productively engaged. More importantly, the government can use this break to improve access to internet connectivity and infrastructure, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Managements have sought more clarity from the government. Shashidhar Dindur, secretary of Recognised Unaided Schools Association, said the government should come up with clear and comprehensive guidelines. “The government should, on a priority basis, issue guidelines and plans for the academic year 2020-21 so that once online classes resume we will know what to do and how to go about it,” he said.
Shashi Kumar D., General Secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, has requested the Department of Primary and Secondary Education to issue clear orders on online classes. “This is discriminatory as only one set of schools get holidays and the others do not,” he said.
