Delhi govt launches three-stage teaching-learning action plan for its schools

Re-connect with students, provide emotional support and bridge learning gaps, and then begin academic activities — this was a three-stage action plan Delhi government released on Saturday for the ongoing academic sessions for nursery till Class 12 in all its schools, while reiterating that schools in the national capital will continue to remain closed till further orders, in view of the covid-19 pandemic. The government also said it will regularly assess students using “innovative methods”.

Schools in the national capital have mostly been closed since last March in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and the teaching-learning process has shifted to online or hybrid modes in that time. Institutions reopened briefly for classes 9 to 12 between January and February only for remedial classes, practical work, and pre-boards/mid-term examinations, and the government later ordered schools to close when the second wave of the pandemic hit in April.

According to the action plan released by the Delhi government’s directorate of education (DoE), in the first stage, between June 28 and July 3, schools will start reconnecting with students. During this time, teachers and heads of schools will contact students and parents, update contact details, set up WhatsApp groups and prepare a list of students without smartphones or cellphones.

In the second stage, between July 5 and July 31, schools will provide emotional support to students and try to bridge learning gaps, the government said in a statement.

Emphasising the importance of providing emotional support, Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia said, “The learning loss has been massive due to the onset of the pandemic. This year, we not only need to reduce learning loss but also provide deep emotional support to our children. They need to be mentally prepared for any teaching-learning activities.”

The third stage will begin from August 2, when schools start conducting regular subject-wise online classes and also provide worksheets and hard copies of assignments to the students who do not have access to digital devices or internet connectivity. “Students who have difficulty accessing digital devices will be provided short notes capturing the points of their online classes. These notes can be collected by the parents from the school on a weekly basis. Similarly, the parents who do not have smartphones can collect the worksheets on a weekly basis from the school of their child,” a circular issued by the DoE said.

The Delhi government also that it will assess students every month using an “innovative approach” to understand their participation and learning levels. “The nature of these assessments will be based on project/activity/assignment. It shall assess the foundational competencies, effective knowledge, understanding, critical thinking, analytical approach, problem-solving, and creativity, etc using the content of the month as reference,” the DoE circular added.

Principals of Delhi government schools welcomed the action plan.

“It’s good that the government is planning to first provide emotional support to students before starting the teaching-learning process. This is necessary, considering the emotional trauma they went through during the second Covid-19 wave,” said Dr Devinder, principal of a government school in Rouse Avenue.