Schools in West Bengal reopened for offline classes in February, but many students did not return
Schools in West Bengal reopened for offline classes in February, but many students did not return
When schools in West Bengal reopened for offline classes in mid-February this year after nearly two years of closure due to the pandemic, Swarupa Mandal Gomes, headmistress of Lee Memorial Girls High School in Kolkata, found that many students had not done so. joined back.
“Even a child lost and not traced is a crime on us. What would have happened to them, their safety and security – it worries us. These children come from the least privileged backgrounds of society, and they point to our responsibility towards society as teachers,” said Dr Mondal Gomes, whose concern is being raised by government-aided schools in Kolkata and West Bengal. has been encountered.
While for the students of private schools, the mode of education shifted from only offline to online mode, once the lockdown due to COVID-19 started coming into force, the students of government schools had hardly any access to smartphones or networks. There was access. Such luxury. For them, a longer layoff meant taking a longer break from learning, which led many people to drop out. Lee Memorial Girls High School alone has lost at least 25 students.
“Due to home confinement, these children lost 20 months of school days and learning environment. Since they mainly come from non-financially strong backgrounds, online learning was not very effective as many students were unable to attend classes due to lack of any digital device at their disposal,” said Dr Mandal Gomes .
“They lost track of studies and some of them were completely lost out of our reach and still are. We were unable to communicate with them. His parents had lost their livelihood and were financially troubled. Education, for him, turned into a luxury beyond his reach. In some cases, their parents separated, each choosing their own path and refusing to take responsibility for the child. We have heard that some are left in the care of grandparents or a relative. Some of them became child labourers. Two of them are married,” she said.
“In fact, once offline classes resumed, very few children went back to school earlier. This required a lot of phone calls to parents, leading them to believe their children would be safe at school. It was observed that even the children had become very reluctant to come back to school and be confined for so many hours. He had lost his attention span. The concentration was very low,” she explained.
“Many children had gone back to the village as it was very difficult for their families to sustain themselves in the city. Transfer certificates were not collected. His parents didn’t want to pick up the phone,” said Dr Mandal Gomes.
“Today, teachers are working hard to keep the children engaged. They have lost the habit of writing at a stretch. Some seem to be backing down. The learning gap has widened. The road ahead is difficult for us. However, the most difficult task is to find back the lost children and bring them into the world of education and learning,” she said.