The chalk and board will not be enough anymore — projectors, microphones and laptops will now become a part of the classroom.
Many areas on school campuses will remain out of bounds and there will be no more poring over each other’s text books because desks will be far apart.
As in-person classes resume from today after a gap of 20 months — with the exception of a brief reopening in-between — The Telegraph lists the changes that a student can expect on the campus.
Cameras on tripods
Several schools have fitted tripods with cameras facing the projectors on the wall for live streaming the class. As the teacher takes class, the lesson will be live streamed for students attending from home.
At Sushila Birla Girls’ School, the management has set up a camera on a tripod with a projector in 18 classrooms from where live streaming will be done.
“Students are expected to come every second day and the live streaming will ensure that teaching for both sets of students continues simultaneously,” said Koeli Dey, the principal of the school.
Laptops, microphones
Teachers at La Martiniere for Boys will use wireless microphones and laptops to take classes.
“The boy sitting in the classroom and the boy at home will be able to hear the teacher clearly,” said a school official.
Canteen and breaks
The breaks will be monitored, too. At La Martiniere for Girls, for example, students will be allowed to sit in the open in circles of not more than four, maintaining a safe distance.
The school, however, will allow students to play non-contact sports like badminton.
“A social disconnect has been created and we want to bridge those gaps,” said Rupkatha Sarkar, the principal of La Martiniere for Girls.
At Calcutta Girls’ High School, during the break, students will be allowed in the corridor but the staff have been told that “not more than two or three students” should be seen together.
The Heritage School has placed stickers on the canteen tables where children will be allowed to sit.
On tables for six, only two or three will be allowed.
“The students will be di-vided. The bain-marie (food counters) has also been fixed. All the students won’t be allowed access to all the bain-marie,” said Seema Sapru, the principal of The Heritage School.
Out of bounds
Several schools have decided to keep some areas of the campus like the playground out of bounds for students.
“It will be a more sanitised school surrounding and students will be expected to follow a certain path as they enter and leave the campus and not roam around,” said Nupur Ghosh, the vice principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
No mingling
The hope of sitting with your friend might not come true because classes have been divided and not all students will be in school on the same day.
Posters on the campus will remind students not to share their tiffin or text books. Teachers will be around to keep watch.
Picture by Pradip Sanyal
A classroom in Sushila Birla Girls’ School on Monday, which has been readied for the reopening of campus on Tuesday.
1. Desks demarcated for students to maintain safe distance
2. A camera on a tripod set up for live streaming of the class for students attending online from home
3. A projector for the online class