Despite smog, it’s school as usual

New Delhi: For long, digital teaching aids have been seen as nothing more than superficial add-ons to the education process, but a school here is using them to prevent the ongoing smog from disrupting its schedule.

The Ardee School in New Friends Colony will be rolling out its E-Classroom programme for the next two days, to see how students respond. It will be rolled out across all other Ardee School branches in India soon.

"The E-Classrooms will be open at homes of our students, Grade 4 and up. The students will attend live online school and interact with their friends and teachers in real-time," said Shefali Varma, Chairperson, The Ardee Schools.

With pollution in the city reaching alarming levels, the administration has announced the temporary closure of all schools in the capital. Schools in neighbouring cities like Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad have also been shut. Inclement weather, disease and unrest are all too common and the first to be affected are schools.

The decision to use E-Classrooms, keeping schools open via video, was born out of thinking that such incidents should not be allowed to disrupt school and affect children's education.

"What we are demonstrating is that E-Classrooms not only help eliminate economic barriers to accessing education, but that it can also be used in events of natural or man-made calamities," said Varma.

The school also plans to offer this facility to students on medical leave or those travelling to participate in competitions. Students with special needs or those physically disabled will also be able to attend The Ardee School at-home classes.

"The world is changing and we must balance negative changes with positive advantages, find the silver lining, and prepare the children to deal with adversity pro-actively," said Varma.

Students are the heirs of this world and "they must be taught that the school must go on", added Varma.