Ahead of schools reopening in Kerala from November 1, the Education Department has come up with a set of guidelines that have to be followed to make learning easy for the kids. Vasudevan Sivankutty, Minister for Education, who released the academic guidelines on October 27, said, "We will decide on the syllabus of particular subjects to be taught in the offline mode after assessing the situation in the first two weeks of schools reopening. Around 95% of the teaching and non-teaching staff have been fully vaccinated and an updated vaccination status will be available over the next two days. Most of the parents have also been administered two doses of the COVID vaccine too."
The academic guidelines stressed the need for a scheme to address the learning gaps of children as they will not be having uniform educational standards. The classroom sessions should be used to further support digital and online education. The aim should be to bring all students back to the school environment. Students should be given the freedom to indulge in activities of their choice. Light exercises and providing books of their choice have also been prescribed.
The guidelines recommend improving the social skills of children and providing counselling to them, if needed. Teachers should aim to blend online and offline learning with first-hand experiences. Library and group activities can be carried out in schools. Students who are unable to attend school can continue with video classes and online sessions.
According to the guidelines, the academic plan for November should be prepared before school reopening. The academic plan in December should be prepared after taking into account the activities carried out in November. Other recommendations include recording students' academic progress on Sahitham, student mentoring portal, and giving students the freedom to choose assessment text. Use the services of parents while addressing learning gaps. Conduct house visits to understand students better and create a rapport with parents.
On the insistence of some schools that parents should have received both doses of vaccine if they want to send their children to school, Sivankutty said that it was in tune with the government's stance that the entire adult population in the state should be fully vaccinated. "The government has made all arrangements to ensure the safety of children in schools. Parents need not worry about their kids. If they have any concerns, they are free not to send their children to school in the initial days," Sivankutty clarified.
