Ease and concern as classes go back to online mode in Kozhikode

Kozhikode district admin confirms online classes till Sept 23; schools struggle to put system in place. Financially backward families struggle to provide phones for online classes. Well-to-do families have no issue as they already had online classes during COVID.

With the Kozhikode district administration confirming that classes in all educational institutions will be made available online until September 23, schools are struggling to put things together on a war footing.

Though online classes had been the new normal across the State just a year ago, most schools have moved on to normal classes alone and hence have to put up a system from scratch.

“Availability of mobile phones will be a problem for students in our school, who are from financially backward families. Though the community had made an effort to make phones available to the students during the times of COVID, most of them have either been damaged or put to alternative use,” said Ashok Kumar T., headmaster, Government UP School, Puthiyangadi.

However, matters are much easier for students from well-to-do families. “Online classes are not an issue since we had to shift from offline mode during COVID. Children already have an user id and password for the platform that was in use then. It would just be a continuation,” said Sumesh Sadanandan, parent of a student in Kendriya Vidyalaya for whom online classes have already begun. “Our issues are about the change of routine and the added responsibility with the child staying home while we have to go for work,” Mr. Sumesh added.

Meanwhile, an earlier announcement from the district administration that the online mode of education will go on indefinitely until further notice has created much confusion and panic among some teachers and parents.

“Keeping schools closed for a month is preferable over online classes. Thus, we can prevent children from getting addicted to mobile phones and online games once again,” said Jaffer Siddique, a teacher at St. Antony’s UP school at Kannoth. He demanded that the government should make arrangements to provide counselling to the children if online classes went on for more than a couple of weeks. “Gaming addiction is a serious issue and it adversely affects the mental stability and social skills of the children,” he added.

Most schools in the district begin their online classes on Monday.