Ban not solution, present alternatives

The Department of Primary and Secondary Education’s decision on Wednesday to ban online classes for children from Kindergarten to Class 5, and extended to Class 7 on Thursday, has evoked mixed responses. The decision, which has come on the recommendation of a NIMHANS report drawing attention to the harm that online classes could have on children, has been welcomed by some parents. Some among them were worried that their children were spending too much time staring at a digital screen. Others were concerned over having to buy tablets and laptops for them and having to sit with them during the online classes. Others have pointed out that this is deepening the divide between the haves and have-nots. Many children do not have access to laptops or tablets or the internet. Will they not lag behind in a system based on technology? On the other side of the divide are those who believe that online classes are something better than nothing. At a time when schools remain shut, children are able to continue learning through this medium. Online class are providing children with some interaction with the outside world and bringing a bit of routine and discipline into their lives.

All these arguments have merits. What they all highlight is the fact there are a diversity of needs, capabilities and concerns that educational methods will need to cater to and respond to. While this is true at all times and should have always provided the foundation of our education system, its salience is particularly relevant to the current pandemic situation and the restrictions it has inflicted on our lives. By imposing a ban on online education for children, the government has listened only to the voices of its opponents. What about the issues raised by those who see it as a workable solution to tide over a crisis? The blanket ban amounts to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Online classes are a temporary solution. Can we not think of ways to address its shortcomings?

Let’s admit it: this is a wicked problem, there is no one solution to it. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is not
the best one to take in dealing with it. It is not enough for the government to just ban online classes, it must throw up alternatives and options for schools, parents and
students to pick up from. Decisions, however, are best left to individual schools. School authorities could decide in consultation with parents. Parents must consult the children themselves while counselling them on the issues involved.