Pupils face falling behind because they can’t access online learning, headteachers and councils warn
3 years, 11 months ago

Pupils face falling behind because they can’t access online learning, headteachers and councils warn

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. She added: “I totally support schools closing for all the reasons we know about, but there has to be provision for children.” Michael Tidd, headteacher at East Preston Junior School in West Sussex – which is yet to receive any laptops from the government – said a lack of clear decision-making by ministers had led to “ad-hoc closures” which he said would “presumably leave some of those students most in need of the technical devices without them”. Local authorities also raised alarm, with councillor Edward Davie, Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, describing the situation in his area as “critical”, with “too many young people still unable to get online”. She added: "Government have had nine months to fix this, and that we are facing another disrupted term of school where we cannot be confident of the ability of children to access learning at home is shameful.” Andrew O’Neill, headteacher at All Saints Catholic College in North Kensington – which is among the top 5 per cent of most deprived schools in the country – said it had received just two laptops from central government – both of which were delivered four days before the end of the summer term. Wes Streeting MP, shadow schools minister, said the government’s “last-minute” approach to providing digital devices to pupils was “seriously damaging” children’s education.

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History of this topic

Students in slum areas face accessibility challenges as Delhi schools go online
1 month ago

Students in slum areas face accessibility challenges as Delhi schools go online

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi, With Delhi schools switching over to online teaching due to high pollution levels, students living in the city's slum areas are facing significant accessibility challenges. Students in slum areas face accessibility challenges as Delhi schools go online Several parents and students raised concerns saying many children are unable to attend classes regularly due to the dearth of smartphones, …

‘Schools have made joke of entire education system’
1 month ago

‘Schools have made joke of entire education system’

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: Amid the pollution crisis, children as young as 4 years old, studying in Nursery classes, are made to attend three-hour online classes these days. Parents believe that the schools have made a joke of the entire education system. One of the mothers from Mayur Vihar Phase II, Vartika Saini, said, “I don’t find the logic behind conducting online …

Bridget Phillipson urged to take immediate action to curb use of smartphones in schools until age 16
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Bridget Phillipson urged to take immediate action to curb use of smartphones in schools until age 16

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In an open letter to the education secretary, 30 education …

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones
3 months, 1 week ago

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Ormiston Academies Trust’s chief executive said the move was …

Children ‘need digital vaccination to fight fake news and boost digital skills’
4 months ago

Children ‘need digital vaccination to fight fake news and boost digital skills’

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} All UK children …

Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones after survey raises concerns on usage by children
5 months ago

Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones after survey raises concerns on usage by children

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “But I do think I will sit down with anyone to look at how we’ll …

’Today we help….’: UK PM bans mobile phones across England schools
10 months ago

’Today we help….’: UK PM bans mobile phones across England schools

Live Mint  

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has banned mobile phones across all schools in England. PM Sunka said schools that have already banned mobile phones on their campuses have led to a 'better learning' environment'. While many schools around the UK are already prohibiting mobile phone use with great results, the British government said the new guidance will ensure there is …

Ministers push ban on mobile phones in school – even on breaks
10 months ago

Ministers push ban on mobile phones in school – even on breaks

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In new guidance, they say headteachers “can and should identify …

How children torment teachers with smartphones – by one who has been a victim
1 year, 2 months ago

How children torment teachers with smartphones – by one who has been a victim

The Independent  

A trainee teacher in the maths department was shifting from foot to foot outside the head of year 9’s office, glancing down anxiously at his phone. This is policy death warmed up – the Tories have mooted banning mobile phones from schools twice in the last three years, stopping because the majority of schools had lost patience with waiting for …

Primary school pupils should NOT have smartphones or unlimited internet access, head of Ofsted warns
1 year, 11 months ago

Primary school pupils should NOT have smartphones or unlimited internet access, head of Ofsted warns

Daily Mail  

Ofsted's boss suggested that children should not have unrestricted internet access or smartphones at a young age. The watchdog's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, expressed her surprisal on hearing that primary and early secondary school children sometimes own mobile phones. Chief inspector of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, expressed her surprisal on hearing about primary and early secondary school children having mobile phones …

Online school put US kids behind. Some adults have regrets.
2 years, 2 months ago

Online school put US kids behind. Some adults have regrets.

Associated Press  

BOSTON — Vivian Kargbo thought her daughter’s Boston school district was doing the right thing when officials kept classrooms closed for most students for more than a year. “It is very easy with hindsight to say, ‘Oh, learning loss, we should have opened.’ People forget how many people died,” said Austin Beutner, former superintendent in Los Angeles, where students were …

Schools are going online in disasters, worsening disruption
2 years, 3 months ago

Schools are going online in disasters, worsening disruption

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Two and a half years after schools switched to …

Millions of parents leaving children online unsupervised, poll suggests
2 years, 3 months ago

Millions of parents leaving children online unsupervised, poll suggests

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We understand children also face social pressure to connect with …

School system is ‘failing’ on multiple fronts – report
2 years, 6 months ago

School system is ‘failing’ on multiple fronts – report

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The pandemic has exacerbated and exposed inequalities that were already there Lee Elliot Major, …

A digital divide haunts schools adapting to virus hurdles
2 years, 11 months ago

A digital divide haunts schools adapting to virus hurdles

Associated Press  

When April Schneider’s children returned to in-person classrooms this year, she thought they were leaving behind the struggles from more than a year of remote learning. As more families pivot back to remote learning amid quarantines and school closures, reliable, consistent access to devices and home internet remains elusive for many students who need them to keep up with their …

Children and schooling in the post-COVID-19 era
3 years ago

Children and schooling in the post-COVID-19 era

The Hindu  

When someone in the family falls sick, all normal routines and arrangements are affected. Peripheral concern Children’s education and health are two major domains in which welfare policies of the modern state are expected to support and enhance the family’s role. Restoring children’s innate desire to relate to the world physically and socially surrounding them will constitute a major step …

76% of Indian Students Faced Learning Losses During Pandemic: UNICEF
3 years, 1 month ago

76% of Indian Students Faced Learning Losses During Pandemic: UNICEF

News 18  

As many as 76 per cent of parents of children between the ages of 5-13 years, and 80 per cent of adolescents between 14-18 years, reported learning less due to extended closure of schools, as per a survey by UNICEF. “With the safe reopening of schools across the country after more than a year, the children’s Charter of Demands focuses …

Children's Day: On online classes, reopening schools, and mental health of students
3 years, 1 month ago

Children's Day: On online classes, reopening schools, and mental health of students

India Today  

The pandemic has no doubt affected us all, but students were not only confined to their homes but had also been disconnected from the outer world comprising their friends, relatives, school, and hangout spots. When asked about how their students coped with the pandemic times as education shifted online, Joshi says, “Undoubtedly the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the teaching-learning process …

School Closure, Digital Divide, Learning Gap: Post-COVID India Needs Resilient Education System
3 years, 1 month ago

School Closure, Digital Divide, Learning Gap: Post-COVID India Needs Resilient Education System

News 18  

Education remains the solitary ray of hope for many to break the vicious circle of poverty. However, the data released by the Unified District Information System for Education for the academic session 2019-20 shows that 78 per cent of schools in India don’t have internet facilities and more than 61 per cent do not even have computers. Approximately 12 crore …

Go Beyond the Syllabus: As Schools Reopen, Children Need Help to Adjust to New Normal
3 years, 1 month ago

Go Beyond the Syllabus: As Schools Reopen, Children Need Help to Adjust to New Normal

News 18  

When schools were shut down seventeen months ago, no one could have predicted how long classes would remain suspended. They apparently feel that their online pedagogy is adequately protecting children from ‘learning loss’. If an achievement survey can prove this, critics of online teaching will be silenced along with those who think that the prolonged school closure has led to …

Online Education Has Arrived with COVID-19. But Quality, Accessibility Gaps Must be Fixed
3 years, 2 months ago

Online Education Has Arrived with COVID-19. But Quality, Accessibility Gaps Must be Fixed

News 18  

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted children’s education. The School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh, for instance, has initiated various digital learning interventions such as Radio School, Digital Learning Enhancement Programme, Hamara Ghar Hamara Vidyalaya programme, Shiksha ka Kona, mohalla classes and Knowledge Hub for Electronic Learning, among others. Some studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the …

How school closures have hurt our less fortunate students more
3 years, 3 months ago

How school closures have hurt our less fortunate students more

Live Mint  

With most Indian schools shut for the past year and a half, children from poor households, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, are rapidly forgetting what they had learned before the pandemic, new survey data suggests. Previous surveys during the pandemic have also reported learning setbacks, but the latest one comes at a time when children are preparing to advance two …

Worried parents take a stand for safety of their kids
3 years, 3 months ago

Worried parents take a stand for safety of their kids

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The safety of children, who are required to go to school starting September 1 with the government mandating physical classes from that date, is causing serious concern among parents. It is not that parents do not want to send their children to school, it is just that the absence of assurance of safety against Covid-19 once out of home …

Should digital wellness be part of the school curriculum?
3 years, 4 months ago

Should digital wellness be part of the school curriculum?

Live Mint  

As the covid-19 pandemic forced schools in urban India to pivot to virtual classes, one found children spending an inordinate amount of time online. In fact, according to a new study by McAfee Corp—which focuses on personal security for consumers—89 per cent Indians believe that schools should educate children on online safety, with 62 per cent of the respondents wishing …

89% Indians believe schools should educate children on online safety, says survey: Quick tips
3 years, 4 months ago

89% Indians believe schools should educate children on online safety, says survey: Quick tips

India Today  

The way we learn has changed dramatically over the past year as the pandemic outbreak forced many schools and educational institutions to find alternatives to physical classrooms. Quick tips to keep children safe online Here are some tips and to-dos to stay safe: Don’t go overboard with sharing - Maximise privacy settings on all social profiles and engage in safe …

3.1 million students from Classes 1 to 10 do not have online learning gadget access: Karnataka
3 years, 5 months ago

3.1 million students from Classes 1 to 10 do not have online learning gadget access: Karnataka

India Today  

A survey conducted by the department of public instruction at the end of previous 2020-21 academic year found that over 3.1 million students from Classes 1 to 10 in Karnataka did not have gadget access that is needed for online learning. Kids without online learning gadgets to receive special attention The department has now stepped forward to look into the …

Digital divide stands in the way of children’s home residents
3 years, 6 months ago

Digital divide stands in the way of children’s home residents

The Hindu  

While educational institutions are on the path of transforming students into digital academics, here is a group of residents at two children’s homes in Kozhikode who are yet to have sufficient e-learning tools to feel the change. At the Children’s Home for Girls, there are 32 students who manage with limited number of gadgets to attend online classes. Many of …

Govt to ensure students get access to online studies amid pandemic: Karnataka HC
3 years, 6 months ago

Govt to ensure students get access to online studies amid pandemic: Karnataka HC

Hindustan Times  

Karnataka high court said on Tuesday that the state will be violating the fundamental right to education if it fails to give children access to technology, required for online education during the Coved-19 pandemic. The Karnataka HC said there was a threat that children without access to online education could be drafted for child labour, begging or any rather harmful …

The struggle to protect my children online
3 years, 6 months ago

The struggle to protect my children online

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. When exploring YouTube or flicking through …

Cyberattacks, slow connections plague France's switch to online learning for all of 12 million pupils
3 years, 8 months ago

Cyberattacks, slow connections plague France's switch to online learning for all of 12 million pupils

Firstpost  

Paris: French children, parents and teachers are battling with internet connection problems across the country after an abrupt nationwide switch to online learning saturated networks and embarrassed the government. “I hope tomorrow will be better.” After more than seven months of in-person class, the switch on Tuesday to all-online learning for all of France’s 12 million pupils was plagued with …

84% of teachers facing challenges during online classes: Survey
3 years, 9 months ago

84% of teachers facing challenges during online classes: Survey

India Today  

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the education sector globally. Online class challenges linked to lack of teacher preparedness The online survey conducted by Learning Spiral showed that while children face issues in accessing education digitally, teachers face issues in delivering education through digital mediums. A staggering 84% of teachers reported facing challenges in delivering education digitally with close to half …

Covid-19: The challenges of home-schooling 英国学生肺炎疫情期间居家上学的挑战
3 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19: The challenges of home-schooling 英国学生肺炎疫情期间居家上学的挑战

China Daily  

Covid-19: The challenges of home-schooling 英国学生肺炎疫情期间居家上学的挑战 Play audio file 自 2020 年 3 月以来，英国已经几度实行全国性封锁，以控制疫情。在此期间，英国家长需要帮助孩子参与学校组织的线上课。但一些家庭没有足够的电子设备和良好的无线网络环境，所以不具备远程学习的条件。 Google Classroom, Zoom lessons and Microsoft Teams are some of the ways in which schools are continuing their pupils’ education during lockdown, though without a device or wi-fi, learning from home is extremely challenging. 谷歌教室、Zoom（视频通讯软件）课程和 Microsoft Teams（微软团队协作软件）是学校在新冠肺炎封锁期间继续为学生提供教学工作的一些方式，即便如此，在没有设备或无线网络的情况下，在家学习是极其困难的。 Ofcom estimates as many as 1.8 million children in …

Give kids the benefit of the doubt in secondary school choice: boards
3 years, 11 months ago

Give kids the benefit of the doubt in secondary school choice: boards

Dutch News  

School boards are urging teachers to give primary school children the benefit of the doubt when deciding what sort of secondary school they should go to, because of the additional disadvantages generated by coronavirus and the lockdown. Last year, Oxford university researchers said the suspension of face to face teaching in Dutch primary schools has had a more serious impact …

Give kids the benefit of the doubt in secondary school choice: boards
3 years, 11 months ago

Give kids the benefit of the doubt in secondary school choice: boards

Dutch News  

School boards are urging teachers to give primary school children the benefit of the doubt when deciding what sort of secondary school they should go to, because of the additional disadvantages generated by coronavirus and the lockdown. Last year, Oxford university researchers said the suspension of face to face teaching in Dutch primary schools has had a more serious impact …

In a tiny Maharashtra village, a teacher ensures access to virtual lessons
3 years, 11 months ago

In a tiny Maharashtra village, a teacher ensures access to virtual lessons

Live Mint  

Even as primary and middle schools continue to remain shut amid the covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra, a teacher from a zilla parishad school in a remote village of Jalna district has ensured that his students get access to virtual education. When the pandemic-induced lockdown was announced in March, 2020, online education became a need of the hour, forcing schools and …

Digital divide deprives have-nots of proper online education
3 years, 11 months ago

Digital divide deprives have-nots of proper online education

The Hindu  

The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered the most ugly and frightening aspects of the digital divide in the domain of education. Even if we try to paint the intra-area and intra-school type heterogeneity with a broad brush, every member of the urban elite family is likely to have a dedicated high-end digital device with high-speed uninterrupted broadband connectivity; the semi-urban may …

Pandemic played havoc on academics this year
3 years, 11 months ago

Pandemic played havoc on academics this year

Hindustan Times  

Months of lockdown and subsequent measures to curtail to spread of Covid-19 restrictions has derailed the academic sessions of schools and colleges this year. Although online classes and television programmes were tailored for students of government schools, many were deprived of learning due to issues ranging from affordability to accessibility. Aditi Mishra, the principal of Delhi Public School, Sector 45, …

Not Permanent Fix: American Children Opting Online Classes are Flunking Them
4 years ago

Not Permanent Fix: American Children Opting Online Classes are Flunking Them

News 18  

The coronavirus pandemic may be raging in the Houston area, but tens of thousands of students in one district are headed back to the classroom in January because of poor results while learning from home. But those virtual kids, that’s something that we’re concerned about at this time,” said DeeAnn Powell, superintendent of the Pasadena Independent School District. They might …

5 problems you can face in online learning and how to deal with them
4 years, 1 month ago

5 problems you can face in online learning and how to deal with them

India Today  

The Covid-19 pandemic and the prolonged lockdown induced by it has made working as well as studying from home the new normal. All stakeholders, including students, teachers and institutions are forced to overcome challenges that have come with this sudden and often hastily executed online learning programmes. In online learning, assessing students through a Multiple-Choice Question mechanism is still feasible …

‘I could have cried’: Headteachers say access to government laptops cut for self-isolating students
4 years, 2 months ago

‘I could have cried’: Headteachers say access to government laptops cut for self-isolating students

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

Victorian schooling has to go – technology should be the cornerstone of our education system
4 years, 2 months ago

Victorian schooling has to go – technology should be the cornerstone of our education system

The Independent  

It’s no secret that our education system was designed in, and for, a past century. We don’t need to venerate those who can recite ancient Greek epics, we need young people capable of critically, safely and perceptively navigating an online world that, if we are honest, disorientates most of us. Across the country teachers have managed virtual classrooms, while simultaneously …

‘Beyond the reach of schools’: Remote teaching making it harder to identify students who need extra help
4 years, 3 months ago

‘Beyond the reach of schools’: Remote teaching making it harder to identify students who need extra help

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It’s hard to know what their struggles are, …

Govt Should Ensure Children Don't Miss out on Education, Must Provide Free Smartphones or Tablets: NGO
4 years, 3 months ago

Govt Should Ensure Children Don't Miss out on Education, Must Provide Free Smartphones or Tablets: NGO

News 18  

To ensure that no children are left behind in education in the COVID pandemic situation, governments should distribute textbooks, free smartphones or tablets to all school children, an NGO has said. Also, states should provide free data package or reimburse the cost of data, which would also require substantial investment to strengthen digital infrastructure including the regular supply of electricity …

Coronavirus: One in nine pupils absent from school as lack of testing drives fears of ‘lockdown by default’
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus: One in nine pupils absent from school as lack of testing drives fears of ‘lockdown by default’

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

27% students do not have access to smartphones, 28% lack electricity for online classes: NCERT survey
4 years, 4 months ago

27% students do not have access to smartphones, 28% lack electricity for online classes: NCERT survey

India TV News  

At least 27 per cent students do not have access to smartphones or laptops to attend online classes, while 28 per cent students and parents believe intermittent or lack of electricity is one of the major concerns hindering teaching-learning, according to a survey by the NCERT. The survey with over 34,000 participants, including students, parents, teachers and school principals from …

Covid-19 exposes class divide in education: How can students learn without digital access?
4 years, 4 months ago

Covid-19 exposes class divide in education: How can students learn without digital access?

India Today  

The coronavirus pandemic has created a crisis of epic proportions across industries, sectors and the society at large. Students can also download the Google Docs Offline extension for Chrome Browser, which will enable them to use Google Docs, Sheets, Drive and Slides without internet access. Distributing hard copies of learning materials In addition to leveraging tech-based tools, educational institutes should …

Online education not substitute for school education, to keep the learning process moving: Sisodia
4 years, 4 months ago

Online education not substitute for school education, to keep the learning process moving: Sisodia

India TV News  

Online education is not a substitute for school education and its purpose is to keep the learning process moving, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday. Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Education Minister, interacted with teachers and parents at a government school in Chirag Enclave to review the online and semi-online education system enforced in view of closure of …

Can online learning replace the school classroom?
4 years, 5 months ago

Can online learning replace the school classroom?

The Hindu  

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the academic year, cancelled classes and examinations across the country. While Maharashtra has banned online classes from pre-primary to Class II, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have extended the ban till Class V. In a discussion moderated by Puja Pednekar, Kiran Bhatty and Reeta Sonawat look at the pros and cons of online learning. Reeta Sonawat: …

Safety concerns abound as online classes for children become a reality
4 years, 6 months ago

Safety concerns abound as online classes for children become a reality

The Hindu  

With schools launching online classes there are concerns about children’s safety when they use the internet. Her father A. Sundar said she learns to identify animals in “an-hour-long class on alternate days.” Vasantha B. shifted to the suburbs to monitor her 4-year-old granddaughter who has daily 3-hour sessions to learn rhymes. Mythreyi Priya Arun, correspondent of Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Vidyalaya …

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