Maharashtra: New school year begins online today with same old issues

Source: The Times Of India 

All schools in the state will renew online on Tuesday, except for Vidarbha region where they will start after June 26. This is the second year of online reopening caused by the pandemic situation. The Maharashtra State Council of Education Research and Training (MSCERT) has prepared 45 days of bridge courses for students from classes II to X which will cover vital topics from the last year and will be taught across the state after June 26. Deputy director at MSCERT Vikas Garad said, “We have 2.25 crore students in Standard I to XII in Maharashtra. The bridge course for each subject and class is ready with MSCERT and we will present it statewide once all
schools are open, as it is planned in a weekly manner for easier supervision.”

The first study hindering the state’s claim of online education was done by Active Teachers Forum in its report released last May quoting that only 27% students in the state had a smartphone with internet access.

The survey was done by a Zilla Parishad teachers shared with responses from 1,186 schools surrounding 1,67,687 students. 

Only 8% of these students had their own cellphones while 11% had a desktop or a laptop.

Also read: Mumbai: Schools may begin new academic year via online mode