The lockdown and the closure: simmering feelings! As the society is closed, for some time, there are multiple issues and subjects bothering and haunting all of us. By and large there is environment of pessimism expressed through repeated questions – ‘when will this end up and when will the good days return’? Then there are immediate existential concerns-availability and supply of consumables, maintaining cleanliness and hygienic practices about which there are conflicting views causing further stress! Further there is news (mostly unauthenticated) of rise in the number of COVID cases, unpleasant, sometimes fake sometimes real factors precipitating their occurrence and spread. Then the holocaust and dooms day stories accompanied by examples of dooms day carriers sneaking out and traveling in say - ‘Five buses originating from a place which tend to get multiplied into -50, on way’.  Sarcasm apart, they are examples of miseries woven by individuals and institutions and conveyed to the people. Needless to say, they are impacting us adversely more so to the gullible souls!  They cause and create    psycho social problems, many of us may be aware of!

Impact on the children-a generation at stake!

The families, with the school going children, are having their own share of apprehensions - ‘when the schools would open, when do they go to the next class, their future career, and keeping them engaged and busy are some of the evolving concerns’! But are we talking to the children? Are we considering their concerns and listening to them and their discerning voices? Do we know and understand their inner world? Do we listen to them and their myriad questions they might have and are not able to ask? Are we aware that the fall out of this catastrophe would adversely impact their future and their psychological wellbeing? These questions need to be fully understood. There will be solutions to COVID, in due course, no doubt, but the sad trail it would leave would be irreparable and of unimaginable magnitude. If the children are caught in this ongoing cross fire the loss would be imminent and colossus! 

Challenges and opportunities for an impending new normal 

In a ‘business as usual’ scenario there has been conversation around parental involvement and strong community school bond which often concluded in academic frustration-the onus, invariably, being put on the ‘incorrigible schools and an indifferent community’. There has also been conversation around rising aspirations and children, silently, undergoing the avoidable stress. There has been career counselling and special mentoring to help the children withstand the stress!  A ‘new normal’, as is evolving, is faced with different issues and priorities.  The new normal is characterized by uncertainties, new definitions of distance and proximity, new ways of life and practices, unpredictability and so forth. They may appear uncommon and sometimes even bizarre.  They would demand new methods and methodology, practices life style and attitude, resilience, patience, more serious decisions and actions which would offer opportunity to prepare a new genre of humanity and citizenship. Some new ways and strategies need to be thought through.

The jerk reactions   

Both the government and the private schools have responded quickly suggesting a number of alternative formats and pedagogical options- to address to the ‘academic losses’ which are bound to happen considering the ‘abrupt disruption caused by uncertain closure for an uncertain period’. I appreciate the concerns but considering the losses only in terms of academics – (read syllabus which an enthusiastic principal would like to interpret) seems like tip of the iceberg which would add to the worries rather than address the real issues. Then there are issues of technological fits and appropriateness as well logistical feasibilities. The government schools, spread over the far-flung areas, would not be fully prepared to adopt and adapt alternative formats. The schools with large numbers may find it equally difficult to reach the students or may reach notionally. The existing providers in the markets –WebEx, Google, Zoom and others may feel the stress of band-width and capacity! Some of the formats allow offloading of materials and homework compliance? Is it going to create and sustain a creative surge which would be needed among the children?  Some schools are using formats and platforms which allow to create interface between the children, the teachers and the community/parents –are they better change?  Even if they are able to run the classes would running classes and completing courses, mechanically, compensate for the loss of self-esteem and other psychological consequences that the new normal is going to create?

The real issues we must understand 

What is going to be the new normal situation? -there is a need to honestly understand. The evolving scenario precipitates from a global pandemic with broader socio-culture ramification, political economy dynamics, international power relations and fight for one-upmanship - winning and losing elections and footholds, manipulations and manoeuvring down to the fleeing migrants from the cities where they went for a future, struggle to get /negotiate wages and survival doles from the state. It would be naïve to underestimate the children not being affected. The absence of maid servants and higgling for the payment of salary would definitely raise questions, rather curious questions. For the children from a village school the questions of the villagers running away from the cities and staying days in the quarantine shelter or relief camps would send traumatic waves and lead to unresolved questions! These conditions are going to create ambivalent conditions which may not manifest now but would impact the future.

What can possibly be done! 

My feeling is that this is time to pay utmost care to the children so that they do not feel uncared and abandoned (physically and psychologically). Whatever is the level we must not forget that we have to protect the future generation as much as we need to protect the public from the pandemic. The concerned schools and the teachers need to get on the task of engaging with the children albeit from remote, as the situation demands and most importantly the community (the parents) needs to be sensitive to the needs of  being more alert for the psychological wellbeing of the children rather considering the situation to help the children mug-up and memorise and make attempt to compensate for the academic losses. This is not going help –this is going to create, rather, ambivalences, indifference and apathy among the children about the real-life issues and human conditions which might be more important than acquiring new/additional set of information and compensating for the loss of academics! The children need to be offered opportunity in which they can enjoy the break with creative and constructive adventurism, see meaning in something happening outside their normal life in the hackneyed ‘school and homework’ format and help them answer questions they might have been allowed opportunity to question. Let there be efforts to embed values of hygiene, resilience, care and empathy through improvised home based activities like supporting their parents in carrying out household chores, adult role playing and the life and let the parents find time to sit with them, listen to them and try responding to what they have been ignoring and avoiding in the hustle bustle of their otherwise busy life. The luxury of being at home together brings in new opportunities to reinvent realities and rediscover possibilties and envision future.

  A private school in Patna takes the opportunity differently

When lockdown was ordered Manava Bharti International School (MBIS) Patna considered reaching out the children and the parents rather urgently and in a different format. Rather than going all out and flooding the students with materials and homework the school decided to plan carefully with the involvement of the parents-sent out a letter asking their views and suggestions. Combinations of two digital formats were preferred –Zoom to have virtual classroom effect and WhatsApp for sharing other academic and creative work. Almost a month, now, and the outcome are worth considering:    

There is wide appreciation of the virtual classes using zoom which offers opportunity for excitement and technological manoeuvring –we can very well do this subsequently –we can play with this. 

Occasion turns out to be for the whole family. We could see the family members looking at what we’re going on and the parents/siblings adjusting the gadgets in a gesture of support. This, according to us, may prove precursor to family solidarity and parental cooperation/involvement. We could see one of the home works certified by the father – ‘home work done by so and so’. The younger siblings showing lot of interest. One of the students observed that the younger sibling is not bothering much and she herself has taken the role of mentoring her younger peer. 

 Most important has been home work which has been designed to be creative, constructive and exciting by the respective teachers. Once can observe the orientation of a specific teachers through the home work he/she assigned and compliance one received. Followings are important:

The home work offers opportunity for transparency as they pass through everybody’s attention. Nobody can just glance through –it has the attention from others,

The flexibility in completing home work is offering opportunity for envisioning, playing adult role and life that one may see beyond. One can see a child playing role of a master chef or acting as careful parent to the younger sibling.

The sessions have entered the living rooms and kitchens of the students and we came across visuals where the real family situation is evident. Grandparents appreciating and approving the grand children of their work and activities.

Technology is proving to be easy to handle and simple to demystify. This is a great opportunity for creating a future ready citizen.

The children are arguing their work, contesting the views from the peers and the teachers and offering evidences culled out from the rich sources where ever they are and can be found. The pace of exploration has a new direction and speed and the teachers are becoming extra-careful to excite and enthuse their children, in their respective classes, to come out with diversities of their thoughts and views. One can read in one of the encouraging persuasion –‘come on! I would expect you to use musical notes in your recitation and so forth. And the students are not disappointing –they are competing with each other to be diverse and innovative!    

Students have, in several cases, shown assuming adult roles showing love and care with the younger children and empathy with the grandparents. This is, perhaps, a significant development!    

Personal connect with the teachers has grown stronger and is consolidating. The teachers are accessible, open to ideas and views and willing to try them. This has been a great change!

The teachers, on the other hand, are also connecting with the parents and trying to appreciate children’s situations at home and their involvement in multiple activities. This is in contrast to the earlier practice of interacting with the parents on special occasions –meaningful engagement has been missing.

   How has it worked –comparing various formats! 

Let us consider the following table to examine and analyse various facets-what works and how?

Looking at the above table one may analyse and compare the digital and non-digital formats in practice. There is relative advantage of a combined format (3) which allows interaction and engagement and also explorations which are core of knowledge production. This may assume significance in the new normal scenario.

Preparing for the new normal 

As has been discussed earlier MBIS is considering this opportunity to build a pleasant and creative bridge between the children and the parents and at the same time developing additional resilience and reflective traits among the children. There is effort at completing the course but this comes in a natural way. An enabling environment having been created, a bond strongly built between the teachers and parents and creative adventurism consciously promoted the students completing the course becomes natural as an act of auto shopping channelling their constructive surge of insights and thoughts. The school is aware that soon the parents would need to go to work, there would be occasions for disruption of digital platforms because of growing demand and pressure and the schools might also reopen. Alternative thoughts are being given to ensure that the empathetic bridge built continues!

To continue with the relationship the school is publishing newsletter- ‘The Connect’- to encourage and facilitate exchange and continued dialogue. The teachers would need to change their roles from dispensers of knowledge to co-creators and collaborators and the parents would need to spend more creative time with the children. A family and community-based knowledge production system seems to imminent in which the schools and other institutions would rediscover a role of facilitator and coordinator with wealth of inclusively produced resources materials and technologies. The lockdown may be remembered for this to catalyse fruition.

(The author is an educationist based in Patna)