Bageshree Kerkar
Principal, Worli Seaface Mumbai Public English School
Bageshree Kerkar is principal of the local government Worli Seaface Mumbai Public English School (WSMPES, estb.2000) promoted by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The class I-X WSMPES is the sole municipal school countrywide ranked in the Top 10 league table of government day schools in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2020-21.
How have you ensured the learning continuity of WSMPES children?
We started conducting online classes from May, 2020 itself by introducing new teaching methods to engage students online, and appreciated performance by awarding them digital trophies and certificates. This helped to improve student attendance in online classes. Moreover, our teachers maintained contact with pupils by visiting their homes to ensure they didn’t drop out of school. We also spread awareness about the pandemic and safety precautions through our school management committee (SMC) meetings.
Most government school children don’t have access to digital gadgets and Internet. What are the measures you took to address this challenge?
Fortunately, all our 1,354 students have access to at least one Android smartphone at home, so we all were digitally connected during the pandemic. MCGB (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) arranged digital training for all our 42 teachers to teach online and manage children’s stress. We also tune in to MCGB’s television channel which airs subject lessons for students.
What is your estimate of children’s learning loss? What remedial programmes have you introduced?
There’s definitely been a huge learning loss over the past year. That’s why we decided to introduce a baseline testing programme, under which teachers continuously revise the previous academic year’s syllabus. We have also started a bridge course of 45 days beginning July 1 in which teachers will assess students’ learning levels and address learning gaps. Once schools reopen, we will intensify our remedial programmes.
Future plans…
We will continue to implement new online teaching methodologies to ensure learning continuity of our children. But we are hopeful schools will reopen soon and WSMPES is fully prepared with all Covid-19 safety protocols in place. We are ready to begin in-person classes.
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