The disappointment and anger of parents after yet another switch to online classes has been directed at schools in the last two days.
Parents have been writing emails to schools citing reasons why they should not have switched to online classes, said the heads of several private schools.
The concerns are mostly expressed via emails and at times through verbal communications with teachers.
Many private schools in the city that were scheduled to reopen this week after the summer break switched to online classes following a government order that extended the vacation by 11 days, June 26, citing “extreme heatwave conditions”.
The schools in the hill districts of Kalimpong and Darjeeling have been exempt from the order.
Some of the points raised by parents are:
- Since the school and the bus that ferries children to the campus and back home are air-conditioned, why should the students not attend in-person classes?
- The mental health of children needs to be considered. They need to be in school for learning as well as for meeting and chatting with friends.
- The more the online classes, the more addicted the child will be to the internet.
- Since in many families both parents work, the child (especially those in junior-most classes) will not be able to attend online classes in the absence of supervision at home.
“We have had some parents writing to us that their children in pre-primary classes will not be able to attend classes because they will not be at home to supervise them,” said D.K. Chadda, principal, South Point School.
The schools were looking forward to resuming in-person classes after the summer break.
“We would have wanted to use the time when Covid numbers are low for in-person classes. If there is a surge, the schools in any case will have to close,” Chadda said.
In a couple of schools, parents visited the campuses to talk to the management to express their disappointment over the decision.
“Parents are upset because we succumbed to the government order,” said one principal.
Some of the emails suggest the parents are very angry, said another school head.
“The anger of parents is directed at the school. Some of the parents brought up their concerns during the orientation meeting of Class XI,” said John Bagul, principal of South City International School.
Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School, said emails from parents started coming as soon as the school sent out the notice announcing the shift to online classes.
In some schools, students have also expressed their disappointment.
“The students said they had already lost out (on studies) in the last two years. With the current interruption, they feel their preparations for the board exams will be impacted,” said Jessica Gomes Surana, principal of Loreto Convent Entally.
Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School, said emails from parents started coming as soon as the school sent out the notice announcing the shift to online classes.
In some schools, students have also expressed their disappointment.
“The students said they had already lost out (on studies) in the last two years. With the current interruption, they feel their preparations for the board exams will be impacted,” said Jessica Gomes Surana, principal of Loreto Convent Entally.