Sometime in the second week of March, State Governments across the country began shutting down schools and colleges temporarily as a measure to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus. It’s close to 2 months and there is no certainty when they will reopen. This is a crucial time for the education sector—board examinations, nursery school admissions, entrance tests of various universities and competitive examinations, among others, are all held during this period. As the days pass by with no immediate solution to stop the outbreak of Covid-19, school and university closures will not only have a short-term impact on the continuity of learning for more than 285 million young learners in India but also engender far-reaching economic and societal consequences. The structure of schooling and learning, including teaching and assessment methodologies, was the first to be affected by these closures.
Needless to say, the pandemic has transformed the centuries-old, chalk–talk teaching model to one driven by technology. This disruption in the delivery of education is pushing policymakers to figure out how to drive engagement at scale while ensuring inclusive e-learning solutions and tackling the digital divide. A multi-pronged strategy is necessary to manage the crisis and build a resilient Indian education system in the long term.
KiiT International School organized a WEBCON (Web conclave/virtual conclave) on 29th May, 2020.The objective of the webinar would be underpinned with the below listed ideas. Unlike other virtual meets, ours will aim to motivate the viewers(Teachers, Parents, Students & Academicians) to foresee a positive & strengthened future. As we all need to understand that pondering on hypothesis will not empower us to fight the present & be prepared for the future. Our generation, in fact every millennial should take the situation into their stride.
- Exploring & executing pedagogical shifts.
- Students specifically the school going should be well educated about the current situation
- Along with Academics, non-formal learning should be well focused on.
- Myth busting & stress busting during Lockdown
- Schools after lockdown: Redefining existence
The virtual conclave was graced by Smt. Aparajita Sarangi, Honorable MP Bhubaneswar as a keynote speaker; Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, Pro Vice Chancellor JNU; Dr. Debanjan Chakrabarty, Director East & North East India British Council & Dr. Falguni Vasavada, Professor MICA & TEDx Speaker were on the panel as speakers. The conclave was facilitated by Chairperson KiiT International School, Dr. Mona Lisa Bal.