Students returning to school struggling with online to offline transition

Two years ago, millions of students in India had to cope up with a new way of learning when schools were shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the virtual form of education took over.

As schools opened this year and offline education started, it has largely been welcomed by parents, teachers and students but for some the transition has been tough.

Mukti Srivastava, Principal of Father Agnel School said, “Eye contact is required for teaching children. So teachers are very happy now as they are getting response from children. However, it was tough for children in nursery. They used to keep crying and bothering teachers. So we faced a lot of problems, but we have started calling students in full strength from April.”

According to students, “It has been a breath of fresh air. Online education was a confinement. We are enjoying our time now in school and enjoying our extra-curricular’s.”

Teachers at Father Agnel School say, “Students are still in the process of settling down. Some students are directly coming to the senior section after a 2-3 year gap, so that is a major problem that we as well as children are facing.”

The virtual medium is not successful as far as students are concerned, they said. They are facing challenges during transition, but they want to come to school and study in person.