CORONA CURBS PUSHING KIDS INTO DISTRESS

DELHI LOCKDOWN FALLOUTNo outdoors, excessive screen time spark physical, mental issuesOnline classes a major help, but several left out due to tech divide

- Chayyanika Nigam, Pooja Shali and Isha Gupta

VERONIKA Mehra, 12, gets up at 6 am and dresses up to sit in front of her laptop for school studies. Later in the evening, she learns how to play the piano — on a cellphone application.

She is among lakhs of children whose world has undergone a 360-degree change. Most Delhi schools have made online classes mandatory, amid the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are using apps, WhatsApp messages and emails to provide study material and assign homework.

Life for children has changed like never before. Schools are closed and meetings with peers and friends outdoor are prohibited. They are being forced to adjust to the changing dynamics of social and interpersonal relationships.

CHANGING SCHOOLS

“We are sending online tools videos, links of YouTube and personal videos of teachers to parents to keep students stimulated,” said Ameeta Wattal of Springdales School, Pusa road.

“As there is no clarity on how long the situation will last, we are looking at how we can teach students in small capsules to help catch up with learning,” she said.

WHAT PARENTS SAY

“Though online classes from schools and coaching centres started one and a half months ago, many children are not grasping lessons quickly. As they are locked at home, it is difficult for them to focus on studies sincerely, said Bhawna Arora, a house-wife.

“Technology has evolved and educational methods have modernised, but a bedroom or living room can't replace a classroom. I have to record all online classes and then again make my eight-year-old revise them,” she said.