Bandh sends schools back to online mode for a day

But some schools that could not do so at the last minute, gave the day off to Stds VIII and over

Commuters found themselves stuck without conveyance in most areas of the city with BEST deciding to stay off the roads for most part of the day. Eleven BEST buses were vandalised earlier in the day. Cabs and autos, too, plied cautiously, with only trains operating without a hitch. Shopkeepers were angry at being forced to stay closed in a festive  week. Most schools switched to online mode for the day as some teachers found it hard to get to school.  In Thane, auto and cab drivers said Shiv Sena workers were quite aggressive, with protesters beating up those who were working. 

Just a week after schools reopened, many had to close again on Monday, due to the bandh. However, hybrid learning models developed by schools came to the rescue, as many made the swift shift to online mode for the day. But some schools which could not, gave the day off to Stds VIII and over.

There was a lot of confusion in the education sector on Monday morning, especially for Stds VIII to XII which have begun offline learning. Even as there was no decision by schools to remain closed on Monday, the situation changed at the last minute, with many teachers facing travel issues. While some schools immediately decided to close offline functioning for the day, some tried to continue with whatever manpower they had at hand. While for some it was possible to easily shift to online mode, some had to give Stds VIII and over a holiday for the day.

Hybrid learning models helped

Many schools have prepared hybrid learning models so that classes are available both online and offline. This helped immensely on Monday, when many had to make the decision to keep schools closed. Even as such schools have strict policies about who joins offline and online, on Monday, the online option was available to all.
The principal of one such school in Andheri said, “We already have specific links prepared for every division to ensure social distancing in class. Anyway, some students were attending online classes through these links. On Monday, those who attended offline classes were also given access to these links.”

Not an easy shift for some

While some students were able to go to schools as they live nearby, some teachers had travelling issues. With no teachers, schools could not be held offline.
For many schools it was not an easy shift to online mode. “On Monday, it was not possible to make a sudden shift to online classes. Not only teachers, but students, too, could not easily access devices to shift to online mode,” said a teacher from a Kurla school, which caters to children from underprivileged backgrounds. Like many others, this school, too, took a last minute decision on Monday morning to give Stds VIII and over a holiday. 

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