Academic year proceeds sans glitches as CBSE schools set up virtual classrooms

TNN | Apr 16, 2020, 04:36 IST

Coimbatore: The lockdown and its extension amid the Covid-19 pandemic seem not to have fazed teachers and students of CBSE schools. For the last two weeks, they have been logging on to online portals from the safe confines of their homes to participate in classwork.
The CBSE academic year started from April 1. The board had instructed schools to conduct online classes to ensure that academic activities go on undisturbed. Subsequently, Kendriya Vidyalaya as well as private schools have been conducting online classes.
With structured time tables, sessions and regular breaks, the classes have been going on smoothly, said teachers and principals. While some Kendriya Vidyalayas have been sharing study material and tests online with students, private CBSE schools have been conducting live sessions through Zoom and Skype. Teachers improvise the sessions using blackboards or whatever means and materials they have at home.
Teachers and students at Vivekam Senior Secondary School in Saravanampatti have been logging onto Skype for classes, said principal Lily Princy. “We give 10 minutes for students to get prepared before each session. There are two sessions every day. Some teachers who have blackboards at home use them in the sessions,” she said.
Some schools have asked students to wear uniforms or follow a dress code even when they log in from homes to create a classroom atmosphere. President of the CBSE Schools Management Association (CSMA) C S Manoharan said schools have been insisting on students wearing uniform or following a proper dress code in the Zoom virtual classroom sessions. “We ensure there is a classroom atmosphere. Teachers have a blackboard and while they use it, the camera is focused on it. Students would be in mute mode while the class is on and are allowed to clear doubts later,” he said.
Considering all students may not have uniform gadgets at home to log on to the sessions, Manoharan said they are free to log in using a desktop, a laptop, a tablet or as a last resort, a mobile phone.
The CBSE has asked schools to use resources from the Diksha website, E-Pathshala portal, Swayam portal, and the YouTube channels of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and CBSE.
V Meganathan, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sulur, said they were using resources from the portals. “We also have live sessions in Zoom. There are two sessions each in the morning and afternoon. We also give them tests online,” he said.