As soon as the first case of COVID-19 was reported, the government announced the closure of all schools and educational institutions across the country. Then, it was all on Google Classrooms, e-learning on television and radio and distributing self-instructional materials (SIM). Some welcomed it as a new milestone and the beginning of a new wave of learning. But for some, the transition has been challenging and burdensome.
Since the closure of all schools in March last year, the education ministry has tried to keep every student engaged in the learning process through various platforms. However, unequal access to modern technologies especially in the remote areas of the country has made learning and teaching in the new normal challenging. Without access to cable TV and the Internet, SIM has been the only alternative for students in remote areas.
Phuntsho Choden, an English teacher at the Wangduechholing Lower Secondary School in Bumthang was recently back at her school. Like many other teachers, Phuntsho also had to visit villages to teach students the new curriculum and keep them engaged.
“The pandemic gave us an opportunity to see for ourselves the living conditions of our students and how friendly their home environment is for studying. As the pandemic situation is unprecedented, we also came across lots of e-learning technology and also got experiences in teaching students online,” she said.
Despite the experiences, teaching has been challenging during such a time especially when teachers have to visit villages for the SIM services.
“During a period like this when people stay indoors, they are afraid when they see new faces in their village. That’s why some of them even ignored us. However, some parents send their children out when we let them know beforehand that we are visiting their village. When we came across students who do not own mobile phones and are not handling e-learning apps, we had to conduct classes outdoors in bad weather conditions,” she added.
Some parents, however, have been very supportive. According to her, a club owner came forward and turned his clubhouse into a makeshift classroom. “That way we could teach five to six students regularly. Likewise, people having large houses let us use their empty rooms as classrooms. Through their support, we could get at least two to three hours of teaching time.”
According to a newspaper article published in December last year, almost 150 students in Thimphu Thromde dropped out after the closure of schools. This is according to the Education in Emergency Implementation Report 2020 of the Thimphu Thromde. Likewise, Wangdue Phodrang Dzongkhag recorded six dropout cases. In Bumthang, over 30 students left school.
“As most teaching-learning takes place online, the situation demands all students to own a phone. However, some parents can’t afford to buy one for their children. That’s why some of them had to discontinue studies and some became monks. Some of them rejoined school this time but some didn’t turn up,” she said.
According to the education ministry, students dropping out of schools is one of the major challenges faced by policymakers and educators in the new normal. Developing an adapted and prioritised curriculum, mobilising teachers to plan and develop video lessons, assessing all students, huge costs to deliver e-lessons and engaging children effectively are some of the other challenges.
However, the education ministry is trying to look at the current situation as an opportunity to review the current education guidelines and fulfil their overall vision to make every student nationally rooted and globally competent.
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Kipchu/Passang Dorji
