The Covid-19 pandemic which is getting propagated in large numbers across the State has put parents and teachers in Kerala in a quandary. With the Test Positivity Rate (Number of persons per million testing positive) showing 15 per cent in the State and the number of active Covid-19 patients breaching the one lakh mark, an uncertainty stares at the future of school students.
Students with whom The Pioneer interacted expressed their unhappiness over the on-line classes. “We miss the classroom ambience and the inter personal contacts with teachers,” said Jaya Krishnan, a 9th standard student in a reputed school in Ernakulam. He said class room sessions make learning an interesting experience.
“The only relief we get is that we need not carry heavy textbooks and notebooks to school. We also miss the cricket and football maidans which had offered us a refreshing feeling,” said Jaya Ram, his twin brother.
But C Prakash, a scientist-turned-teacher in Aluwa is faced with a problem. “How to make these students follow social distancing norms as mandated by medical experts? Children are children and they do not like either parents or teachers making them obey with an iron hand. There should be a way out of this,” said Prakash.
Dr C K K Nair, former principal scientist with Atomic Energy Commission and an authority on genetics engineering said the only option was to keep the little students at home and teach them through on line. “It is not a permanent affair. We have to ensure the safety of their health and this is a contagious disease. The parents and teachers could handle this situation,” said Dr Nair.
There are medical experts like Dr C V Krishnaswamy who are firm in their view that educational institutions should remain shut throughout the period of pandemic. “We should treat this as a natural disaster. Since the vaccine is yet to take shape and the Government is no mood to incorporate the Ayurveda/Homeopathy branches in the treatment protocol, all we can do is to wait, wait patiently for the pandemic to subside,” said Dr Krishnaswamy.
Professional colleges in Kerala, especially those teaching law, humanities and social sciences have successfully switched over to online format which has been widely welcomed by the student community and teachers.