The officials have been asked to chalk out the strategies for reaching out to those students who don’t have access to the smart phones.
The school education department has switched to the social media in order to reach out to the students amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown announced by Government of India to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The department is using different social media application to reach out to the students and distribute the study material and other learning content to compensate their academic losses. In this regard a circular has been issued by Director School Education Jammu (DSEJ) Anuradha Gupta with instruction to all the officials and the teaching staff to streamline and coordinate the creation and working of WhatsApp groups at district and school level to establish direct interface with students. “Besides teaching and doubt clearing, activity based assignments can be given to students in an organized manner,” reads a circular. The DSEJ has asked the officials to follow the instructions in letter and spirit. “All Joint Directors (JDs) to get Level 1 WhatsApp group created comprising of concerned CEOs, Principal DIETs, ZEOs. All the JDs shall also be part of these groups. The main objective of this group shall be to discuss the strategy for how best to involve and engage maximum number of students in home classes,” the circular reads. The officials have been asked to chalk out the strategies for reaching out to those students who don’t have access to the smart phones. The department is taking such initiatives in wake of the closure of the educational institutions which has kept the students confined to their homes and are aloof from the classroom culture for a long time now. Meanwhile, the DSEJ has also instructed the officials to create WhatsApp groups at different levels including Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and heads of the institutions. “WhatsApp groups of teacher in-charges shall be created with students of each class particularly from classes 6th to 12th. For lower classes, home classes/home assignments may be given through parents,” reads the circular. Already, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has started delivering lectures to the students through Google classrooms and Zoom Application besides telecasting one hour lecture on DD Kashmir on different syllabus oriented topics. Meanwhile, the DSEJ has issued instructions to the officials of the department to consolidate and strengthen the dissemination of the lectures through interactive teaching learning process.
