70% parents in Tamil Nadu find online learning

70% parents in Tamil Nadu find online learning effective, says LEAD School Survey

~80% parents in the state are able to support their child’s learning at home~

A recent survey by LEAD School, which is currently running the largest online school in the country, has revealed that the pandemic has caused major worry among parents of children belonging to class K-12.  The study shows that over 85% of parents are now more anxious about their child's future prospects in society and the economy amid the COVID pandemic.

Interestingly, with the trend of online learning picking up in our country, the survey revealed that nearly 70% parents in Tamil Nadu find online learning as an effective mode of learning and believe that it should go hand-in-hand with physical schooling. Close to 80% parents think they're able to support their child's learning at home, a trend seen among both fathers and mothers.

The nationwide survey of nearly 5,000 parents from metro and non-metro cities presented some stark findings: 70% of parents feel quite worried about the impact of COVID on their child's education and nearly 40% parents have expressed concern about their child falling behind and missing out on a year of learning and education It is slightly more for parents of class 9 and 10 students; over 78% respondents are worried about their child’s health and safety. Tamil Nadu parents are the most concerned about the health and safety of their children as compared to other parts of the country.

As per LEAD School data, parents in other southern states such as Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana feel they have been able to support their child’s learning. On the other hand, parents in the states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana feel they are not well equipped to support their child's learning. 

However, not surprisingly, 77% parents in Tamil Nadu said that they are able to spend more quality time with their children – a trend observed in both metro and non-metro cities.

The nationwide survey was aimed at understanding some of the major concerns of Indian parents as respondents shared their experiences of how they are dealing with the schools being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is impacting their decisions concerning their children.

LEAD School Cofounder & CEO, Sumeet Mehta said, “I understand the fear that parents have of sending their children to school. Our schools should provide a high quality online learning experience so that if we decide to not send our child to school, they are not disadvantaged. But we must equally respect the decision of parents who choose to send their children to school. Government must inspect regularly to ensure schools follow protocols and take up strict action against those who don’t, as it is the only way to build trust amongst parents and students both. Parents should exercise this choice and work collaboratively with schools as this trust based contract between parents and schools may end up being Covid-19’s biggest gift to Indian education.”

LEAD School recently released the Post Lockdown Handbook for Schools in India which lays down ecommendations and guidelines on how to run schools post lockdown while achieving the twin objectives of student safety as well as excellent learning.

LEAD School recommends school reopening plan to

LEAD School recommends school reopening plan to HRD Ministry, Central and State Boards; releases Post Lockdown Handbook

Offline-Online learning, alternate day school, social distancing guidelines, non-contact games and tie-up with local hospitals advised to schools 

 Ahead of the Human Resource Development Ministry issuing guidelines to help schools plan their reopening, LEAD School, which is running the largest online school in the country, has submitted its recommendations to the Ministry, Central and State Boards. LEAD School also released the Post Lockdown School Handbook for the benefit of all schools across India to help them plan and prepare for reopening.

Amid the norms of social distancing set by the Government of India, the Handbook guides schools in running the essential activities ranging from school transport, classroom seating, offline-online learning, academic year planning and outdoor activities. It also focuses on health and hygiene and responsibilities of school, teachers, parents and students.

Key suggestions from the Handbook include:

·         Adopting cloud based system to help schools integrate online-offline learning

·         Alternate Day School or Double Shift School to maintain social distancing and reduce operational cost

·         Starting academic year by June end online or increasing academic year duration to avoid learning loss during the year.

·         Advanced planning of assessments and staggered evaluations

·         Maintaining 6 feet distance in seating through one student per desk or two per medium desk or three per long desk with one empty seat between each student. Similar vacant seating practices to be followed in school transport

·         Opting for non-contact games and activities like Yoga, Aerobics, Hopscotch, Athletics or minimal contact games like Badminton, Table Tennis among others

·         Staggered lunch breaks and supervised lunch in the classroom for younger students

·         Tie-up with local hospital or nursing home; on campus or on call availability of medical attendant

Sumeet Mehta, Cofounder & Chief Executive Officer, LEAD School said, “For schools, the post-lockdown challenges can be solved when they work along with parents, teachers, education department and local governments to create safe and healthy environment. LEAD School has prepared a comprehensive Handbook to help schools deliver excellent learning while taking care of the safety and health of their students and staff on reopening. The handbook contains a checklist that every school can use to prepare for the Post-Lockdown period.”

LEAD School created the roadmap for schools to handle any disruption in operations once the lockdown is over. Such disruptions could include heightened concerns of child and staff safety at school, sudden changes in COVID zones or new outbreak of cases, quarantining of students or teacher due to positive cases and any new government measures on social distancing that may hamper school operations.  

The Handbook has been circulated to 800+ schools in 15 states, covering over 3lakh students studying in tier 2, 3 and 4 cities and towns in India.