An odd-even plan for schools ⁠— India is reportedly planning to let 50% of students attend from home

• The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is chalking out plans to address social distancing with an increased focus on individual assessment.
  
• The schools will, in fact, not conduct morning assembly, seminars or any other sports event for at least a year.
  
• Another proposal in the works is the alternate week arrangements or running schools in shifts.
  
• The government is also considering introducing at least 12 educational channels for students from 1st to 12th grade.

Not just industries, educational institutions are also stepping up their efforts to keep up with the ‘new normal’ with a number of remote learning initiatives.

In a post Covid-19 world, schools are likely to operate on an alternative model where only 50% of the students will be needed in the classrooms on any given day while others study from their homes — even after the lockdown comes to an end.

Even during exams, students will not appear for it on the same day.

According to the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Indian government is chalking out plans to address social distancing with an increased focus on individual assessment.

The schools will, in fact, not conduct morning assembly, seminars or any other sports event for at least a year. “The bigger challenge will be to ensure the younger children maintain distance; they usually sit close and mingle a lot more than the older ones. The safety guidelines that we will form will include all these things. we will have to look at how to maintain distance between students in school buses, while they are sitting in the classrooms and even when they are using the washroom” The Print reported citing a source.

Another proposal in the works is the alternate week arrangements or running schools in shifts. “The guidelines will also spell out what the students who stay back at home would do. One option is for schools to continue their online teaching and giving assignments and activities,” NCERT Director Hrushikesh Senapaty told The Times of India.

The Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) is expected to announce the guidelines for the learning calendar by next week. Since March 2020, all the schools and colleges have been shut due to Coronavirus and there is no confirmation on reopening of schools yet.

The education body is leveraging digital adoption as it moves to ‘each class, one channel’ strategy. Under this, the course will be taught via live interactions and aired on TV channels for students to access it. The government is also considering introducing at least 12 educational channels for students from 1st to 12th grade. The idea is to keep the learning continuity for students.

Given the delay in the academic year, the higher education regulatory body University Grants Commission (UGC) also laid out guidelines for colleges after lockdown. As per the UGC directive, university students will be giving the final examination in July and the next academic session will begin in August, 2020.

The final year students will have to sit for exams — online or offline. However, the students in other semesters may be promoted based on the internal assessment, the statutory body told the higher education institutions.

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