Back in March, when schools shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus, many parents were uncertain what that would mean for their children’s education. Virtual learning was so new at the time, and so naturally parents were apprehensive. How immersive would the classes be? Would the experience be as fulfilling as being in an actual classroom? Was it really necessary at this time?

“But then as the lockdown extended, I think it dawned on most parents that it was imperative our children keep learning despite the pandemic because these are their growing years,” said Hari Shrestha, who works in the development sector. “And even if schools decided to reopen, I wouldn’t be able to let my children go,” said Shrestha.

It has been almost seven months now that schools across the country have been closed. And education has become completely online. And while this shift has been difficult for children to adjust to, it has been equally tough on the parents as well. Because the change has meant that besides overseeing their children’s school work, parents have had to simultaneously manage work and family.

And while in the beginning adapting to this reality was difficult, many parents say they are now grateful, as they believe this has given them an opportunity to understand their children’s learning process better.

“I personally have been grateful to the teachers and the schools for their relentless effort to help the children with their learning. They have been extra careful of how this time will impact their future,” said Eliza, who asked to be identified by her first name only. Eliza works in the developmental field just like Shrestha and is a mother of two, who are in grade 5 and 10.

“Distance learning has also helped me realise how stressful and challenging school is for my children. We often forget to acknowledge that, as we have long passed that age,” she said. “But getting involved in their learning during this time has helped me understand them more,” she said.

In early July, when schools were looking to transition to online classes, many private schools in the Valley first carried out a survey to assess if running virtual classes on a daily basis was doable. “The survey asked parents questions like how many hours do we think children should be taking online classes and how much they too would be willing to invest and engage with their children’s learning,” said Eliza, whose children study at GEMS School, in Lalitpur.

The survey also looked into the resources required to carry out virtual classes—where the children were staying, and whether the students had internet access and if they didn’t what other alternative approaches could be exercised.

But from very early on, teachers were sure that virtual classes would require parents assistance in varied scenarios from guiding their learning to monitoring them to take the classes.

“Parents' involvement in distance learning is quite significant because of the limitation of the virtual classroom,” said Benju Karki, founder of Euro Kids, Dhapakhel, who also teaches upper and lower kindergarten children. “It’s more necessary that a parent is present in the case of children who are aged between four to six during virtual classes because many children are prone to distraction, and need more guided instructions,” said Karki.

Many teachers, especially of younger children, often discuss their course plan with the parents before taking classes. “Virtual classes certainly demand more time from parents than before Covid-19, but this also allows them to see how we teach their children and the process of their learning,” said Karki.

In the absence of schools, parents are now also realising what schools were providing their children with, besides child care and education. The school was a place where their children learned social life and discipline, a place where they were learning to collaborate and explore. And in engaging with their online education now, parents are also learning parenting and a whole new side to their children’s learning abilities and their learning environment.

The virtual classes have also let parents see how their children are being taught by teachers. It has brought them to see through the teacher’s effort and school’s lesson planning. “Where once we didn’t have much idea of what our children were learning and how, now we have a better idea,” said Shrestha.

“Being involved with my children’s education has taught me that I sometimes need to take a step back from my own methods of parenting and reflect on how I have been teaching my children,” said Shrestha. He remembers an incident where he was rushing to teach his daughter how to solve a mathematical problem. For him, the problem was easy but for his daughter the problem was something she had never solved. Only after realising this he understood the pace of learning for children. “I realised as easy as it is for me to grasp multiplication, for my five-year-old daughter this is all extraordinary. So, in that way I have learnt to be more patient with her education,” said Shrestha.

It is not just Shrestha who believes virtual classes have helped parents recognise their roles in their children’s education. “It’s not just the schools’ role to teach children, it’s as important for parents to be involved with their children’s education, see what is straining them or making learning difficult for them,” said Eliza. “Of course, it’s understandable that not all of us have that environment, but I have always believed that parents’ effort is necessary for their children’s growth,” she said.

Eliza has set down a routine for her children and has been checking on their schoolwork regularly and their engagement at home more closely to understand how her children are experiencing the distress of the virus-stricken world. “But I think children are more resilient than us. My children adapted faster to living this way than us. Yes, it has been difficult for them to be learning inside rooms without the open environment and their friends, but I can see that they are trying,” said Eliza.

For parents with younger children, however, virtual learning is a little more challenging. “It’s absolutely necessary that there is someone to guard my daughter while she is taking the class because she gets easily distracted,” said Shrestha. “While my son who is in grade 3 is dependable to be left alone, I can’t say the same for my younger one. She is mischievous like all children are in their age,” said Shrestha.

Many parents who in the start of lockdown were critical to virtual learning have also come around to see the significance of a learning space for their children amid the pandemic, said the teachers the Post spoke to. “Parents, who previously were not welcoming of the idea of going virtual with their children’s classes, after looking at how other children are learning, have rejoined their children in online classes,” said Karki.

“Certainly adapting to this way of learning will take time, but like all of us they are doing their bit,” said Karki. “Plus, the pandemic isn’t going away anytime soon,” she said.

As Covid-19 cases continue to rise rapidly every day, virtual classes are increasingly becoming significant for children’s education, said parents and teachers. However, the current time has also widened, and made obvious, the disparity of learning with many children out of school in areas without access to any technology. Majority of households across the country still do not have computers or access to the internet.

But in the meantime, urban parents have adapted and are even enjoying engaging with their children’s classwork and homework. “We are still waiting to send our children back to school safely, but have been more grateful than ever for the virtual classes and the teachers,” said Shrestha.

“I think I have come to learn more about my children in this pandemic. I didn’t know their lives can be stressful in their own ways,” he said. “I am rooting for virtual classes to support my children while we go through this pandemic.”