Is it a good co-incidence?
We are made to wonder whether the change in the concept of ‘education’ brought in the year 2020 is a ‘good’ co-incidence of COVID 19 or part of ‘industrial revolution 4.0?
The ‘New Education Policy 2020’ reiterated a good amount of ‘child centred and child friendly ‘‘skill-based education’ concepts. The prescribed plan of 5+3+3+4 is appropriate in supporting children by teachers and parents to move towards self-learning to the child up to 5 years, help the child to identity area of interest during 5-8, understand that ‘my area of interest is a subject of study’ and become a ‘learner’ with the objective of, ‘my purpose of learning is, ‘how to learn?’
Re-thinking ‘education’
‘Education’ does not cease with passing out of the school and getting of a degree from the university. Nor does it stay restricted to the interchange between the student and the teacher. The whole community is involved in it, directly and indirectly. There are three or four parties to the process of education: the student, the teacher, the parents, and the funding source, mostly the State and society which has ownership and accountability over the school as a ‘community based public welfare institution’.
The situation at M.M. School is changing. A happy and positive situation in the post COVID new normal is that parents are more responsive to the situation of the children, compared to parents some 20 years ago. This is basically because the ‘education’ at the levels of parents have phenomenally increased.
Considerable number of mothers are digital literates able to accompany their children in digital learning. About 30 percent are ‘software parents’ with one or both parents engaged in software work.
About 25 percent of students and parents are affected by COVID effect. While the children are affected by learning loss, psycho-social situations affected them emotionally and deprivation of ‘needs and wants. Parents have vulnerable situations such as, loss of employment and income, calamities in family including COVID mortality, disruption in relations and crisis in family budget and income. In general parents make time to spend with their children and the children feel enthused and look forward to making favourable reports on their doings in their digital and self-learning.
Cooperation of about 40 percent of parents is functional. Their cooperation with the teachers is regular and good. In about 60 percent of the cases, the parent contact with the teachers and school is the mothers. Their participation in webinars and other events of the school is proactive and voluntary.
Many parents have realised that they are the important stakeholder of children’s learning. Hence, there is more scope to engage the parents in the activities, events, and projects of the school