Lalitpur starts sending home learning materials to students

Education experts say just sending learning materials doesn’t work until schools can monitor the progress of their students.

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Anup Ojha

Published at : August 29, 2020

Updated at : August 29, 2020 21:57

Lalitpur

In a bid to keep students who have been staying home for over four months due to Covid-19 pandemic engaged in learning, Lalitpur Metropolitan City has started sending them “home learning materials”.

The city started the campaign to keep primary-level students from community schools who don’t have access to the internet engaged in learning, said Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan. Officials said the city received around Rs 150,000 from the Education Ministry to print the learning materials.

“At this time we are mainly focusing on students under grade three who attend community schools in the city,” said Maharjan.

The materials, designed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, tech students to draw and learn alphabets, among others.

Of the 40 community schools in the city, 25 run classes up to grade 12, ten till class eight and five till the fifth grade.

“This is a great means of learning for children who are confined to their homes due to pandemic,” said Kadam Baba Pradhan, principal at Tri Padma Vidyashram Secondary School, Pulchowk. “Our school received all the printed materials from the city, but we haven’t been able to send it to the students’ households because of the restrictions. As soon as these restrictions are relaxed, we will send them to the students,” said Pradhan.

Schools and colleges all across the country have been closed since March 18. The government is yet to come up with a roadmap to reopen schools.

Most people from lower economic backgrounds enroll their children in community schools. Majority of them do not have access to the internet or laptops to attend online classes. This trend is not only limited to Lalitpur, children from working class families across the country are being deprived of learning although virtual classes have roped in children from middle and upper class families.

Nava Raj Rijal, the city’s education officer, said the city has sent the learning materials to all schools. “Students above class five can learn from the internet, and there have been online classes going on via different FM radios and televisions, but primary level kids can’t comprehend those things,” said Rijal.

Education experts have welcomed the move but have raised questions about its effectiveness. “Just sending materials to students does not work, the school concerned should have a mechanism to monitor if children are learning or not,” said Binay Kusiyat, a professor at the Tribhuvan University.

Rijal from the education office said with the learning materials, even partially literate parents can guide their children. The 176-page material has tasks for students for 45 days, which they can perform with the help of their parents. And at the end of each task, parents can test their own kids’ knowledge.

“These tasks help children to have better relationships with their parents because these tasks are interactive. For example children are told to write their parent’s biography. This helps them to learn about their parent’s time,” said Rijal. Apart from that, they are taught how to perform daily activities from morning to the evening. It also includes different games, drawings, and information on coronavirus.

Frequently asked questions about the coronavirus outbreak

UPDATED as of September 22, 2020

What is Covid-19?
Covid-19, short for coronavirus disease, is an illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, short for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Common symptoms of the disease include fever, dry cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

How contagious is Covid-19?
Covid-19 can spread easily from person to person, especially in enclosed spaces. The virus can travel through the air in respiratory droplets produced when a sick person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes. As the virus can also survive on plastic and steel surfaces for up to 72 hours and on cardboard for up to 24 hours, any contact with such surfaces can also spread the virus. Symptoms take between two to 14 days to appear, during which time the carrier is believed to be contagious.

Where did the virus come from?
The virus was first identified in Wuhan, China in late December. The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that is responsible for everything from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). After an initial outbreak in Wuhan that spread across Hubei province, eventually infecting over 80,000 and killing more than 3,000, new infection rates in mainland China have dropped. However, the disease has since spread across the world at an alarming rate.

What is the current status of Covid-19?

The World Health Organisation has called the ongoing outbreak a “pandemic” and urged countries across the world to take precautionary measures. Covid-19 has spread to 213 countries and territories around the world and infected more than 31,405,983 people with 967,505 deaths and 22,990,260 recoveries. In South Asia, India has reported the highest number of infections at 5,557,573 with 88,943 deaths. While Pakistan has reported 306,304 confirmed cases with 6,420 deaths. Nepal has so far reported 65,276 cases with 427 deaths.

How dangerous is the disease?

The mortality rate for Covid-19 is estimated to be 3.6 percent, but new studies have put the rate slightly higher at 5.7 percent. Although Covid-19 is not too dangerous to young healthy people, older individuals and those with immune-compromised systems are at greater risk of death. People with chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease, or those who’ve recently undergone serious medical procedures, are also at risk.

How do I keep myself safe?
The WHO advises that the most important thing you can do is wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol content. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unclean hands. Clean and disinfect frequently used surfaces like your computers and phones. Avoid large crowds of people. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist for longer than a few days.

Is it time to panic?

No. The government has imposed a lockdown to limit the spread of the virus. There is no need to begin stockpiling food, cooking gas or hand sanitizers. However, it is always prudent to take sensible precautions like the ones identified above.

Anup Ojha
Anup Ojha was a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues, crime, and human interest stories since 2011. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.