With schools shifting online, more parents were spending time with their children in educational activities but finding it difficult to teach mathematics.
A survey of parents in four metros, carried out by stationery company BIC-Cello, found that 80% were spending more time with their kids in educational activities, while 70% said interaction between students and the teacher had increased during the pandemic.
However, almost 50% parents feel that school is the best place for studies as children don’t feel enthusiastic studying from home, and 19% feel children can interact with peers and develop a better understanding of concepts at school. As many as 17% of parents feel teaching and learning experience was better at school and 13% feel that children were studying less as exams were on hold.
Moreover, 24% of parents have also observed that children have become more dependent on them. Parents reported that they were struggling with mathematics the most (64%) followed by science (48%) and English / Hindi / Regional language (36%), according to the survey of more than 400 parents in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
While 69% of parents reported an increase in device dependency, 62% of those surveyed were also finding creative, offline alternatives for their children and 58% were engaging their children in extra-curricular activities. “We are pleased to see that despite the drastic changes in the education model, there are some positive changes children and parents have adapted to,” Chester Twigg, BIC chief commercial officer, said.
The survey found that 53% of parents said trying to keep life ‘normal’ for their kids was the most challenging part of parenting during the pandemic, while 48% struggled to limit their child’s time on digital devices. As many as 44% of parents felt keeping their child busy after completing school work was a challenge.