With high schools and PU colleges all set to reopen on August 23,
the State government has directed all schools and PU colleges to conduct both offline as well as online classes so that students can opt for either.
However, most private school managements and PU colleges say that it will be difficult to conduct both classes as it would be a huge expense.
They also pointed out that the schools do not have adequate teachers to conduct both classes.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that it would be impossible to conduct both classes as schools do not have adequate infrastructure.
“Teachers who conduct offline classes will have to manage the students in the class and it would be difficult to hold a conversation with students attending online classes,” he said.
Lokesh Talikatte, State unit president, Recognised Unaided Private Schools’ Association, Karnataka, said that while they would conduct both online and offline classes for a week, it would be difficult to sustain the classes for a longer duration. “Conducting both classes simultaneously will have a huge impact on our finances. But we will do this for a short duration to build the confidence of the students until the attendance for offline classes improves,” he said.
Mansoor Ali Khan, member, board of management, DPS Group of Schools, said that they have been holding discussions with teachers on how to conduct online and offline classes. “We cannot overburden our teachers to conduct both the classes. Conducting livestreaming of classes will not be efficient as teachers will not be able to pay attention to students who are logged online,” he said. He also pointed out that most central board schools have highly qualified teachers and they do not have any extra teachers who can teach students online
V. Anbukumar, Commissioner for Public Instruction, said that private schools who could not conduct online classes with offline classes reopening had to devise some means where students could get access to education. “There are various ways in which schools can engage with students online as well and can have pre-recorded classes or ask students to watch DD Chandana,” he said.
