Several schools have opened their campuses to help teachers hold online classes from schools.
Teachers have the option of using the school infrastructure —Wi-Fi-enabled classrooms, white boards or smart interactive boards, science laboratories where teachers can conduct experiments or show specimens to students during online classes.
In some institutions, teachers have started going to schools to hold online classes. Some schools are being readied after a gap of three months for teachers to hold online classes.
This month, Shri Shikshayatan School and South City International School gave teachers the option of holding online classes from school.
The Lakshmipat Singhania Academy authorities on Monday gave teachers of Classes XI and XII the option to do experiments in the laboratories and to show them to students.
Calcutta Girls’ High School is making arrangements so that teachers can make use of the school infrastructure from July. The school is making some of the classrooms Wi-Fi enabled and installing infrastructure to help teachers use the blackboard and show the matter to students.
“In the school they can use the blackboard or the apparatus in laboratories to demonstrate science experiments. Teachers have been taking online classes but they do not have a formal classroom like set-up in their homes,” said Basanti Biswas, principal of Calcutta Girls’ School, said.
The school will prepare a roster for teachers. They will visit the school twice a week in a staggered manner to follow distancing rules.
At South City International School, teachers have been using white boards and smart interactive boards and laboratories. “Teachers are doing chemistry experiments in the lab, making videos and demonstrating it to the class. In biology, while speaking on a particular topic, teachers are showing specimens kept in the laboratories,” Rutika Nath, dean of academics at South City, said.
Only those teachers with own transport have been asked to hold classes from the school. Those aged close to 60 have been told not to visit the school.
“The CBSE has a portal for students of Classes IX and X to watch experiments but there is no such option for students of Classes XI and XII. We would not want children to miss out on that completely because practicals are an important part of the curriculum,” Meena Kak, principal of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, said.
Bratati Bhattacharyya, secretary-general of Shri Shikshayatan School, said the idea was to help teachers make use of the library or the computer laboratories.
“If teachers are finding it difficult to continue at home they can deliver the lessons from the school. But they will have to stagger their timings,” Bhattacharyya said.