Online classes: Even teachers distracted, impacting education of children

Hyderabad: Contrary to belief that students were too bored to attend online classes, parents who are spending their hard earned money now have issues with the way teachers are showing interest in online education.

Annual assessment of teachers in several schools shows that even they were not keen and appeared to be distracted.

Though many schools feel that students have taken it easy with online classes by switching off cameras, not every teacher has been proactive either.

Even though most of them have adapted to the new mode of learning, many parents complain to the managements.

The assessment found that teachers would switch off their cameras, assign class work and walk away. Some would play videos, not be present and children were supposed to pick up the lessons from the videos.

A few have been playing videos for long stretches without giving any lectures. Such teachers have been told that online mode is to stay here and the performance is unacceptable.

Teachers have been told that the load of correcting exercise books is off now, which lessens their responsibility.

They have to only correct answer scripts. Hence, they can focus on online lectures. Teachers have to share the links and passwords with the head.

Anytime the head can intervene and make surprise checks, said Laxmi (name changed), working in a well-known private school.

"It is easy to say children do not focus when cameras are turned off in class. But have all teachers not done similar things.

We are taking this very seriously," said S Osama, Principal, Little Stars High School, Kompally.

"As the new session begins with a new academic year, rules for online classes have been changed, such as sudden inspections.

Many parents have registered complaints to the school managements. Reason being, many teachers are grappling with teaching difficulties because classrooms were easier and engaging, felt Shubhangi Katre, an upper-class primary teacher at a well-known CBSE school in City.

She added that teachers share e-contents or recorded video-lectures which are not always welcoming for students.

Several schools across City found out that teachers were less active by turning cameras off, playing power presentations, and not interacting enough with children without intermittent face-time.

Parents have said that since the beginning of online learning, they have noticed the difference in the quality of education. "The performance by teachers is extremely poor.

We realised that when we attended one of the classes of our kid. It took us by surprise that they assigned the work on WhatsApp and took a few online lectures," said, Vijay, a parent whose son studies in class VII.