To deal with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Education Ministry has suggested door-to-door surveys to enrol students and relaxation of detention norms.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Education Ministry has suggested door-to-door survey to enrol students.
It has also suggested the relaxation of detention norms in schools.
Many recommendations have been made to help students cope with studies amid Covid-19 pandemic.

In an effort to cope with the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education system, the Ministry of Education has asked the states to conduct a door-to-door survey to identify out-of-school children and prepare an action plan for their enrolment. To prevent the number of drop-outs this year, the ministry has also recommended relaxing detention norms to address learning loss due to the coronavirus-induced shutdown of schools.

The move is particularly aimed at identification, admission, and continued education of migrant children who have been affected during the pandemic, the ministry said in an official statement.

It stated, “In order to mitigate the impact of challenges thrown by the COVID-19 pandemic for out of school children, it was felt necessary for every state and UT to devise a proper strategy for preventing increased dropouts, lower enrolments, loss of learning and deterioration in the gains made in providing universal access, quality, and equity in the recent years.” “The states and UTs have been advised to carry out proper identification of Out-of-School Children (OoSC) for 6 to 18 years age group through a comprehensive door-to-door survey and prepare an action plan for their enrolment,” it further added.

Ministry issued guidelines to support students

Schools and educational institutes in India have been shut down since March 2020 in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country. The ministry has also issued guidelines for offering support to students during the closure of schools and when they reopen. An official stated, “To ensure that school-going children have access to education with quality and equity and to minimize the impact of the pandemic on school education across the country, the Ministry of Education has prepared and issued detailed guidelines on steps to be taken by the States and UTs during school closure and when the schools reopen.” The recommendations made by the ministry to support the closure of schools also include ensuring easy and timely access to the provisions of uniforms, textbooks, and mid-day meals.

Guidelines for student support

The Ministry of Education also released the guidelines for student support when schools reopen after prolonged closure include preparation and running of school readiness modules and bridge course for the initial period so that they can adjust to the school environment and do not feel stressed or left-out. Identifying students across different grades based on their learning levels and relaxing detention norms to prevent drop out this year have also been recommended. One of the suggestions made by the ministry was to encourage children to read books beyond the syllabus and indulge in creative writing and problem solving for ensuring reading with comprehension and numeracy skills. Large-scale remedial programmes and learning enhancement programmes should be held to mitigate learning loss and inequality, it recommended. Source:

Source: India Today