Poonam Thakur, Principal, Jindal Vidya Mandir, Vasind, Maharashtra- Tough times will teach many things

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April 6, 2020

My Life was just running on the fast track when this COVID-19 outbreak hit the world. It was mid-March and the exams were going on. Somewhere, I had these thoughts what if this lockdown happens in our country. Am I equipped to battle this out professionally and even at the home front? My mind was boggling with these questions.

At the home front, checked the kitchen and picked up groceries. It was tough to keep kids home 24/7 so picked up some board games, cards etc from the market.

The Lockdown was announced. Life which we called normal in which we run a rat race was no more normal. A new normal started. It wasn’t easy. No maids coming in, a lot of house work, a lot of professional challenge as we were entering the Digital Teaching and Learning.

Initial few days, I kept grumbling on the situation as I had lost all my touch in my culinary skills and other daily chores as I was totally dependent on my maid.

But then a realisation set in and there was an acceptance to the reality.

I decided to make the most of this time in hand.

We started working together at home. The house work was shared by all four of us. We discussed as how we have become slaves and we are just existing and not living our life to the fullest. We decided on how we as a family would proceed further in life, more calm, more peaceful and more content.

We play cards, snakes and ladders, listen to music. We spend time together watching some amazing movies which are our all time favourite and which makes a lot of sense in real life to me. My son tries hard to make me exercise and do yoga. We work, eat, play, exercise and dance together. Above all we PRAY. Though I have two left feet my kids are not ready to give up on me. Hats off to them.

I actually have started loving this new normal in which quality family time is more. Life has become calm and peaceful. I get a lot of time to introspect and contemplate on many aspects of life. I am able to maintain a good balance between my professional work, household chores and quality family time.

Even professionally my team, though they were away physically they could bond with me on different online platforms and understand my expectations from them. We took a giant leap in Virtual Teaching and Learning and the result was amazing. We as a team were able to go far beyond our own expectations. Learning new techniques, trying, testing, failing and retrying again. It indeed was a great leap towards the future of education. This made me realize that our Team Bonding is great and we are moving towards a BETTER EVERYDAY.

Students were happy to connect through various online platforms. All the kids worldwide are a bundle of joy. We elders need to appreciate them, because the way they had adapted to the change and remained indoors is worth appreciating.

Yes I know that the coming time will be tough for people all over the world, there will be financial crisis ,unemployment and many other issues. But whatever it is, I still feel we need to thank god individually as we are still alive and we are healthy when in the whole world some people are suffering and quite a few have passed away. This too shall pass.

We, the family of JSW believe in BETTER EVERYDAY. Here is the opportunity to better ourselves so that better happens to everyone else. As a parent, a school leader and a responsible citizen I am utilising this opportunity and time and moving towards a Better Every day.

This Summer 2020 will be etched in each ones heart. Let us all remember this not only as a tough phase but also the positive aspects as how we dealt each day with a positive hope and learnt many life lessons during these days. Let us remember it as a lesson and how we sailed through these trying and testing time, with our family, friends and society. Let the spirit of unity be etched in the hearts as each responsible citizen is trying his level best to win the battle against this unseen enemy at an individual level but it is surely contributing towards the battle the country is fighting.

I felt the need of penning it down as I choose HOPE over Fear.

I trust BETTER EVERYDAY.

There are people who feel staying at home is difficult. They feel being at home is isolation from the world. Being at home healthy and hearty is more precious than anything else in life.

Till then- #Stay home#StaySafe#Enjoy the New Normal#BETTER EVERYDAY

And keep humming………..

Aa chal keke tujhe main leke chalu

ek aise gagan ke tale,

Jaha gham bhi na ho, aansoo bhi na ho

bus pyar hi pyar pale.

Aarul Malaviya, Founder of MASH Virtual & zamit- Time to think something new

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April 6, 2020

It’s a typical weekday morning at the Reddy’s home. Her husband has left for the day and her older son is already at school. Except, in this case the school is at their dining table, and the timetable is all set for the day.

Sachin will learn the names of different fruits and vegetables displayed in their kitchen, help his mom in some household chores, and music appreciation with his father.

This is the world of Homeschooling

Home schooling is basically home education, where the children are being educated at home or any other place. Home schooling can be done by the parents, Online teacher or Tutors.

Though we had certainly believed that the future will be volatile and uncertain, we were certainly not ready to be overwhelmed by an unseen deadly virus. The coronavirus pandemic has forced educators, parents and students to think critically, problem solve, be creative, collaborate, communicate and be adaptive.

Indian parents are becoming aware of Home Schooling as a feasible option for their children. Parents are free to send their children to school but teach them at home. If the parents have the means and wish too, they can, as stated by the government. Many parents decided to Home school their children versus sending them to mainstream schools to keep them away from the academic pressures they face. With the help of social media, we get to know of unfortunate news of children like murder, rape, pre-teen suicides, which leaves parents disturbed. And thus, the thought of homeschooling comes to mind. It allows the child to grow and blossom freely without the peer pressure of academics as well.

Homeschooling is also looked at as an option for children whose parents are on the move, cause of their demanding jobs and the requirement to change cities every couple of years. This can be a stop- gap arrangement for them till they are able to find a good school for their children in the new city.

The curriculum can be tailored as per the child’s requirements, and thus help work on the child’s strong areas. As such there are no set ways to home schooling. Parents can opt for extra- curricular activities, drama, sports, language classes, home tutors etc. Every homeschooling situation is unique, and one can take the help of online resources for various things like career guidance and counselling for students , soft skills improvement centres .For some parents working on their social skills, creative skills are utmost important by exposing them to various activities and meeting their peers. Parents can seek Education Experts online to get more guidance on home schooling and various other academic related queries.

It’s no wonder that more parents are considering other options and homeschooling seems to be on top of that list.

There are also free audio stories for kids on Apps available which are free to download on IOS and Android phones which parents can make use of for storytelling.

The following information on various educational boards, permit private candidates to qualify without having to go through the turmoil of regular school

NIOS: National Institute of Open Schooling (India) offers 2 programs for different age groups

OBE: Open Basic education Program for students from age 6 to 14

Student can register for 5 years
Students can study at their pace & ability
Students can choose any combination of subjects
Students need to study 5 subjects
Can take the exam in Hindi, English or any Indian Regional Language
No upper age limits

SENIOR SECONDARY: Grades 11& 12

All out-of-school learners regardless of reason for not enrolling in school.
Home schooled children in India who need a certificate for admission into any stream of their choice after the tenth standard

MSBSHSE: Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education (India)

Students may appear as private candidates
Offers both vocational & study subjects
It offers a wide range of languages Indian regional & international

CAMBRIDGE:

· Cambridge Secondary 2 (IGCSE/O level): 14 – 16 years

· Cambridge Advanced (AS/A level): 16 – 19 years

Home schooled students may take these assessments privately, at Secondary Level, at a fee

The A Level program is self- paced, and students can take a minimum of 3 subjects to qualify

Devvyaa Naagarh, Principal, Arihant International Academy, Chhindwara (MP): Measures taken to avoid loss in studies

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April 6, 2020

The pandemic caused by Covid-19 Virus is a very serious issue. It has thrown a huge challenge to not only our country, but to a very large part of the entire globe. Though it is a global issue, every country as well as region within each country have their own local challenges. Whatever the Indian Government is doing to tackle this pandemic is commendable and exemplary.

We are a country of 130 crore people with huge demographic and geographical diversity. These diversities offer varied challenges in terms of resource availability, allocation and prioritisation. We are located in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh and our School is the first and only ICSE School in our district. Our endeavour is to develop exemplary academic and co-curricular facilities for our students, so that they evolve as fully groomed future citizens of our proud nation and no lesser than their counterparts who live in much developed and effluent environments. Our entire gamut of programmes pertaining to academics; personality development; skill development and honing; imparting moral and social values; sports training; fine arts training etc. are all integrated to achieve the goal of holistic development of students. Activities and programmes pertaining to all the above aspects are planned right at the beginning of academic year with a small provision of revising the schedule in case of some exigencies. However, this long period of lockdown, which was never envisaged, has posed a new challenge.

Never the less, as they say, ‘expect the unexpected’. We have taken this challenge and have reoriented several of our programmes so as to utilize this time to our advantage and also ensure that the planned programmes do not get impacted adversely to a great extent. What we have done can be summarised as below:

· Class wise and subject wise syllabus to be covered in this period of lockdown is jotted down. For the purpose of practicality and probable extension of lockdown period, we included that portion as well which was to be covered up to end of April 2020.

· Each Class teacher took inputs from subject teachers and compiled this syllabus for all the subjects and made a comprehensive schedule in form of a single document.

· It is important to mention here that we are located in such a region where we do not have good internet connectivity. Some of our students come from nearby towns and villages. Considering this limitation, we found it difficult to conduct ‘Zoom’ meetings and had to only resort to WhatsApp applications and their usage.

· The Class teacher conveyed this compiled document of portion to be covered for each of the subject to all their students of the class. Alongside also formed a ‘Time Table’ giving daily time slots for each of the subjects. The teachers have developed study material accordingly and it is sent to sudents through WhatsApp groups.

· Based on this, the students are advised to read the assigned portion and prepare for a discussion and jot down their doubts and questions. At the designated time the teachers conduct a conference call and discuss the same.

· Based on this discussions and doubts raise by students, the teachers also prepare small video lectures and post to the students. Once the topic is clear to all the students, the teachers send a small test on the same WhatsApp group and take reply to the test questions in within a stipulated time. This ensures ‘closing of the ‘Teaching-Learning cycle’ aptly.

· Similarly, virtual classes are conducted through the same groups for other activities. For example:

o The sports teacher has asked all the students to mail their own videos every morning before 7 AM showing them doing ‘Surya Namaskar’. This is done daily and the sports teacher views these videos and suggests correction by uploading his own video.

o The Music teacher also shares and gets response of music and singing through audio messages.

Though all these cannot fully substitute for the actual class room and face to face ‘Teaching- Learning’ process, it certainly helps in maintaining a continuity interaction and education. Though this effort is not fully satisfying exercise for us, but under the circumstances and with the limited connectivity resources we have, we are trying to do our best and are trying to convert the adversity to our advantage.

Haryana to promote all students from class I to VIII sans exams

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April 6, 2020

In the wake of COVID-19, Haryana CM, Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that all the students in the state from Classes 1 to 8 will be promoted. The students will be promoted without annual exams.

As the schools are closed due to the lockdown until 14th April 2020, the govt had taken the decision.

However, Khattar said that Haryana Class 10 Board Exam 2020 for Science subject could not be conducted as the lockdown was announced. As such the BSEH Class 10 results 2020 will be announced for the students on the basis of their performance in the other subjects in the Board exams.

The Chief Minister also tweeted saying all the Private schools in the state to not collect fees from the students during the lockdown period. He directed all the Private schools to not pressurize the students’ parents to deposit fees during the lockdown period and collect the same only when the situation is normal again.

All the schools in state have been closed in view of the COVID-19 lockdown. The Board examinations were cancelled and the University examinations have been postponed until the lockdown id lifted by the Government of India.

BSEB to announce class X results soon, check date and time

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April 6, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 has created hindrances for the education sector across the nation. Bihar Board Class X results are waiting for all Bihar Board students. Earlier, the board was expected to release the result in mid-April.

The results will be announced on website- onlinebseb.in and biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.

While, board says that the evaluation of class 10th paper has not yet been completed. Right now only 50 percent of the copies have been verified. In such a situation, after the lockdown ends on 14 April, its evaluation will start again.

Students can expect that the results can be announced in the last week of April 2020. The results may be announced in the first week of May.

The Bihar Board had announced the result of class 12th on 24 March 2020. Last year, the board announced the result of class 12th on 30 March 2019. This year, the board has broken its record and this time has already issued results 6 to 7 days earlier than the previous year.

The BSEB Bihar Board has stopped the evaluation of copies of Bihar Board matriculation from 21 March.

CBSE to release new dates very soon

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April 6, 2020

In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had postponed Class 10 and Class 12 Board Exam 2020. Reviewing the situation, Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said the exam schedule will be out with other details after April 14.

Nishank said,”I am regularly reviewing the plan of action being followed by schools and colleges during the lockdown. A plan is also ready for conducting pending exams and evaluation as soon as the situation improves and the lockdown is lifted”.

Pokhriyal also said the safety of students and teachers is of utmost importance to the government and that his ministry is prepared to ensure there is no academic loss to students if educational institutions needed to remain shut beyond April 14.

According to an official, all the CBSE Board Exam 2020 students should not panic over the new dates or the revised exam schedule. After the decision on opening of schools and colleges will come on April 14, the CBSE will release the press release to inform Class 10 and Class 12 Board Exams 2020 fresh examination dates after re-assessment of the situation.

The board has advised CBSE board students to keep a close check on the official website (cbse.nic.in) for latest updates on board exams 2020.

There are over 800 universities, 40,000 colleges and 12,000 standalone Higher Educational Institutions, besides 1.5 lakh schools in the country which are closed from mid-March.

Shama Tarapurwala, Principal, Anjuman Islam Saiftyabji Girls High School & Junior College, Mumbai: E-Learning can resolve things in crisis

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April 6, 2020

There is no doubt that the pandemic has paralyzed one of the major backbones of any nation “Academics”. In fact, it’s impossible for anyone to imagine how a gentle living being “virus” gradually could grow into a disaster resulting into an entire world lockdown thereby leaving no sector pre-planned so as how to cope with the situation. Meanwhile, Internet (world wide web) emerged as a global hero accompanying most of us in self – isolation and thereby teaching the world a new approach, “WORK FROM HOME “. But the “ifs” and “buts” are still unresolved for the community called “students. Especially, in a country like India , where March – April are the crucial months for conducting final exams across many education boards and universities in the nation, academicians are facing the biggest challenge so as how to cope up with the deep loss. So as to keep the students engrossed, like many schools and colleges, we too are conducting online live sessions using platforms such as Skype and zoom meeting to cover up the remaining curriculum.

With localities that have either poor or no access to Internet, pre-recorded videos are also uploaded on youtube channels so to be viewed as per students’ accessibility to network. Also, during or after each sessions, we offer online notes either in .doc (ms word file) or pdf format. Another measure that our institution has undertaken is organizing the online exams. ClassMarker, the app like many other available online provides the facility to create questions of subjective and objective types, thereby allowing selection of test pattern and test type.

With no idea of lockdown lasting how long, instead of postponing the exams, we have preferred this kind of online exams. Also, we are streaming live webinars once a week during lockdown days, where we meet online students along with their parents. This helps us to maintain the healthy “teacher-parents relationship” . Like many other apps, ” Teach Us ” has been brought into extensive use by us for online attendance and online updation of syllabus covered .

So as not to lose hope and preventing morale letting go down, we have made our faculties available to meet students online for doubt solving or any emotional setback during given specific hours of the day. Exams which are beyond our authority of organizing , like degree final year, and supposed to be conducted by respective universities (Mumbai University, in my case) , we are preparing students for some interviews processes by uploading appropriate links to videos , thereby keeping students engrossed in their activities.

Likewise, many more institutions must too try to remain in virtual contact of students to make sure they utilize the precious time and do not compromise on their careers ahead. Also, once a week, we are arranging some humorous activities like, online quiz and puzzles sessions with respect to syllabus to monitor their weekly preparation and performance.

Since kids love these creative ideas, we find more enhancements in the performance and involvements. We do make use of google forms, asking students weekly regarding feedbacks and suggestions online to improve. We then implement these suggestions positively towards further improvement. Apart from all above mentioned, excessive use of google drive for videos and notes access, WhatsApp groups for messages broadcasting, are always into consideration. Also, even after lockdown is over, we are also coming up with “vision post-lockdown scenario” too so as not to hassle as we switch back to classroom systems.

NTA postpones NEET UG exam over Coronavirus

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April 6, 2020

Amid coronavirus outbreak, National testing Agency (NTA) is not going to launch the admit card for National Eligibility cum entry evaluation (NEET) UG 2020. According to the notification, NEET 2020 examination will not be conducted on 3rd May. NEET UG 2020 admit card release is postponed till further notice.

The notification of postponement of NEET 2020, was released on its official site- www.ntaneet.nic.in. Candidates are advised to keep checking the page for updates.

NEET UG Admit Card will soon be uploaded on the official website- www.ntaneet.nic.in. and students asked to stay tuned for updates.

NEET UG Admit card 2020 link will be triggered at the NTA website only- www.ntaneet.nic.in. Candidates may also download the Admit card from this page with the Download link available soon.

Steps to Download the NTA NEET Admit card 2020

– Candidates can log in to https://ntaneet.nic.in/

– Find NEET Admit card 2020 link

– Provide the Application Number, Date of Birth, security code and hit submit button

– Check All the details like name, roll number etc.

– Take the print out of the NEET Admit card 2020

Saarah Kausar, Founder and Director, Shine kids Academy, Chennai- Digital education, the only option

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April 6, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has created a lot of hassle around the nation, putting the Education sector worldwide in a standstill position. Around the world, schools in over 100 countries are closed to protect against the spread of coronavirus. But the education is an endless learning process and keeps continuing without any hassle. Only method to continue education in this time of crisis is to opt for online or digital education. These online experimental methods will reshape schools, the idea of education and what learning looks like in the 21st century. Many K- 12 Schools are offering free online courses to children in lockdown period which allows students and parents to choose which one to study.

Home schooling is the only method to opt now, though it’s not readily accepted in our country but now it has become the only option to do so. Homeschooling children during the COVID-19 crisis are changing our approach to education.

The current pandemic has resulted in loss of predictability, loss of routine, loss of classroom learning and loss of exposure to space. Families can bring structure to their children’s life through creativity and maintain a routine. All you need to do is structure your children’s days, it will give them a control over the loss of predictability. Parents can put one or two hours of school work in a creative way, some story time, some personal time, sharing some fun facts about each other etc. The lockdown provides an opportunity for families to re-bond with children and tide over their anxiety. Parents can ensure to play indoor games or do story telling together or to give time for one another then only children will remember the pandemic as a crisis if you make them feel it, else they will remember it as a time they did all that could not have done in a normal time. It’s up to Parents to create that lasting memories for children.

As we are a Preschool division we deal with the children in the age group of 3 to 6 years. Children at this age definitely need a Teacher or a Parental support to do their activity, and we are very happy to see our students doing their activities in an enjoyable way, many Parents have forwarded us their colouring, painting, planting, reading, cooking, yoga, dancing, singing and many more activity based videos of our students with SMILING FACES in the amidst time of crisis, it shows children are also learning to cope with boredom. “A creative imagination and problem solving ability are important life skills, so it’s good for children to have these moments of boredom and having to find ways to entertain themselves.”

The global pandemic worldwide is forcing educators, parents and students to think critically, problem- solve, be creative, communicate, collaborate and be agile. It is also revealing that there is another way of learning too…

Praying this distress phase of time passes soon and we all bounce back with good times ahead…

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy.

Sarika Sharma, Vice Principal, DPS, Bandikui, Rajasthan: Students must use time wisely

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April 6, 2020

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficulty in breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, and avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

*Only me* that is isolation. So we are suggesting and all the recommendations and precautions measures as declared by the government and *WHO*, the situation of complete lockdown has developed stress among the members of family. So we suggest and repeatedly reminded to engage the children in household activities with parents and treat children with patience. This lockdown will rein for longer period, so we are teaching them by providing academic homework, assignments, worksheets related with innovative & creative activities.

Going to schools is the best public policy tool available to raise skills while school time can be fun and can raise social skills and social awareness from an economic point of view, the primary point of being in school is that it increases a child’s ability.

Perhaps to the disappointment of children, they are not in home to play. The idea is that they must continue their education at home, in the hope of not missing out too much.

The school has also created subject wise class WhatsApp groups for students & teachers. School is also using online education app and the class teachers are remaining in the contacts with each and each and every individual students. So, that they remain engaged and no loss in studies. Most importantly, we are equipped with the smart classes and all my teachers are updated with the latest technologies and online teaching methodology. So, I have a message for parents & students to spend time with your ward, spend time with your loved ones, have patience , meditate and organised yourselves band take future course of action god bless. And hope we come over the situation, we fit.

These methods can be fascinating as well as effective for their studies and academic growth.

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