Pre-primary teachers are having a hard time trying to retain the attention of children in online classes for the second year in a row, with monotony and boredom setting in, several of them said.

Some of them said the children were increasingly becoming restless and fidgety. They do not respond in class and at times, disappear from the screen.

Children are used to cartoons or games on screen and teachers have to compete with that kind of attention-seeking gimmick. The challenge is that the content is not always entertainment, said a teacher for toddlers.

Schools are also noticing a learning gap among students.

“Earlier, school was a level playing field regardless of the situation at home. Some parents have limitations and the home atmosphere is not always conducive, which is creating a divide in the level of learning,” said Nupur Ghosh, vice principal, Mahadevi Birla World Academy.

Schools are having to rely heavily on parents and while some are able to guide their children, others are unable to do so.

“In school, the teacher would be hand-holding the child. For example, teaching the child how to hold a pencil. Now, teachers are unable to do more than give verbal instructions. That is where the gap is,” said Dalbir Kaur Chadda, principal, South Point School.

In physical school, by the end of nursery, children are able to comprehend English, said several teachers. For many, this is no longer the case.

“In school, we reach a certain level, which we are unable to do now in some cases and we cannot blame anyone for this,” said Chadda.

Several schools send videos to parents, which they are expected to show their children but many of them are unable to find the time to sit with the kids. Many are also unable to communicate with the child like a teacher would.

Children have also become more restless because they cannot interact with other children, said Jessica Gomes Surana, principal, Loreto Convent Entally.

“Boredom is setting in among children. It is manifested in the way they are becoming fidgety, putting their heads down and at times, not showing eagerness to get up and perform the actions the teacher instructs,” said Gomes Surana.

Teachers are sometimes making the class gimmicky to arrest the children's attention but the concern is whether the learning outcome is the same.

Teachers are having meetings in schools to discuss ideas to make classes more engaging.

“Earlier, in school, we would do one activity per week. But now, we have to come up with a new activity for every class. In school, we had space but now, we have to keep limitations of space and availability of material for any activity in mind,” said Neelakshi Shukla, proprietor and principal, Beginners Montessori House.

Amita Prasad, director, Indus Valley World School, said for teachers to devise activities was much easier in school because the classroom is designed that way. “The child can move from one activity to another and no child is expected to be seated in one place for long.”

Parents are also finding it difficult. The worksheets that were done in school before now have to be completed at home with the parents.

“At times, children’s work is getting delayed because they are dependent on their parents to finish it. Parents have their own work to attend to and it might not be possible for all of them to be prompt,” said Gomes Surana.