Several colleges in Kolkata and other places in West Bengal are now offering online classes, following a state government directive to either extend summer holidays or switch to virtual mode due to the heat.
A similar guideline was given to schools.
Teachers have been urged to visit the campus at least three days a week to help clear up the backlog in administrative and academic work, university spokespersons told PTI news agency.
For example, Siuli Sarkar, principal of Lady Brabourne College, said they have completely transitioned to online classes in all disciplines and will continue until the scheduled holiday starts in the third week of May. She also stated that the university campus is not closed and that the staff is coming to work for academic and administrative matters.
The director further said that several teachers conduct online classes from classrooms, while others do so from home.
In addition, she said: “Only students are not allowed to come until the end of the holiday in mid-June.”
VIRTUAL SPEAK
The online education system was picked up quickly in India as well as in other countries after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world.
When lockdowns disrupted normal life, students were asked to study online as schools and colleges were forced to remain closed. Since then, teachers have been teaching online classes for a long time through various applications such as Zoom, Google Meet etc.
While online classes are common in other countries, it was a first for India.
Although it was tough and initially both students and teachers faced difficulties because they were unprepared for such a setup, it eventually became common practice.
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