Teachers in Madurai district welcome classes telecast through Kalvi TV since July 15 terming it as an alternative form of learning for government school students during the pandemic.
Though the classes have reached a majority of students, those who do not have DTH connections, have been left out, say teachers.
A headmaster of a government school in Usilampatti block says that some students in remote villages have opted for DTH connections as cable TV connections are not viable. “We have asked some students to visit homes of their friends who have cable TV connections,” he says.
According to the schedule released by the government for July 15 to 31, lessons are telecast for Classes 1 to 10 from 6 a.m. and to 11 p.m. on weekdays. For those preparing for NEET/JEE examinations, six-hour sessions are held on weekdays and whole day classes are held on weekends.
B. Balumani, Assistant Headmaster of Avvai Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, says that lack of option to clarify doubts poses a problem for students. “Students say that understanding mathematics has been difficult. Video classes keep playing on television with no time to understand the concept. While offline classes are available on YouTube, many government school students cannot afford it,’ he says
R. Shiva, teacher of Madura College Higher Secondary School, says that primary school students find it difficult to concentrate on their classes, which last for 30 minutes. “It would be better if the duration is reduced to less than 20 minutes. The classes focus on activity-based learning rather than following textbook syllabus,” he suggests.
The quality of video classes can be improved, says K. Saravanan, a government-aided school headmaster, who has been participating in shooting video classes. “Teachers speak in front of the camera in video classes while a powerpoint presentation plays down the screen. This becomes monotonous and students tend to lose concentration,” he says.
K. Ramachandran, a senior lecturer at District Institute of Educational Training, which creates content for the classes, says they are improving the quality of upcoming videos with interactive animation. “There will be a training programme to sensitise teachers on how to clarify doubts of students in the current scenario. School heads have been instructed to identify issues in accessing televised classes and rectify issues by August 15,” he adds.
