As per a recent survey conducted by Azim Premji University, a majority of teachers and parents find online teaching inadequate and ineffective; teachers expressed that there is no ‘emotional connection’ with students, and that meaningful assessment of students’ learning is not possible online. The findings were released in a report, titled ‘Myths of Online Education’, by the university on Monday. The survey was undertaken in 26 districts across five states, covering 1,522 schools with more than 80,0000 students, said the university in a statement. The five states that were covered are Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.
"Online education is ineffective because of the basic character of education, and not merely because of lack of access to the net and online resources, especially for school-age children," said Anurag Behar, Vice Chancellor of the Azim Premji University. He explained that education requires physical presence, attention, thought and emotions, all to be sewn towards learning goals, step-by step, often back-and-forth, and differently for each student.
Behar added that education also requires intense verbal and non-verbal interactions amongst teachers and students, which is possible only in actual classes.
Here are the key takeaways from the survey report of Myths of Online Education by the Azim Premji University:
- More than 80% of teachers expressed the impossibility of maintaining emotional connect with children during online classes.
- More than 90% of teachers felt no meaningful assessment of children's learning was possible during online classes.
- More than 60% of children cannot access online education opportunities because of non-availability of or inadequate number of smartphones.
- Almost 50% of teachers reported that children were unable to complete assignments shared during online classes, which in turn led to serious gaps in learning.
- About 70% of parents opined that online classes are not effective for the learning of their children
- Almost 90% of parents were willing to send their children to school with necessary health safeguards.
- Close to 65% of parents were of the opinion that schools, when they reopen, would not pose a problem for their children’s health.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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