Schools in Andhra Pradesh were reopened for all classes including primary grades, ten months after they were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state government had earlier announced big plans for the school year of 2020-21, with various initiatives like Nadu-Nedu (revamping of school infrastructure), Amma Vodi (financial assistance for students’ mothers/guardians) and introducing English medium in all schools. While these schemes and some others have been implemented in schools to an extent, students and teachers are continuing to grapple with the fallout of the pandemic on childrens’ learning.
Back in November, as schools were reopening for classes 9 and 10, the state government had said that around 2.68 lakh students had switched from private schools to government schools in 2020 to avail the government schemes. The number continues to rise, even as primary schools also reopened on February 1.
Under the Amma Vodi scheme, mothers in low-income households receive around Rs 14,000 each year towards their school-going children’s education. Although beneficiaries have the freedom to send their children to private schools, the fees demanded by these schools have become too steep in spite of the assistance, according to some parents.
Devi, who is a mother of two school-going children, with her youngest old enough to begin schooling next year, says that with the financial crisis inflicted by the pandemic, sending her three children to a private school has become inconceivable for her and her husband, who works as a mechanic.
She is one of the many parents who have enrolled their children at the Kankipadu Mandal Parishad Primary School (MPPS), which is one of the two ‘demo schools’ under the Nadu-Nedu scheme in Krishna district. Since April 2020, the school has seen major changes, with renovated classrooms, newly constructed toilets, a new play area, and other amenities including benches, fans and green boards. “A relative who lives here told me about this school. We decided to give it a try, since the teaching at the private school my kids were attending was not very good, while the fees were high,” says Devi.
Though the family lives in Prodduturu village of Kankipadu mandal, Devi has decided to send both her children (classes 1 and 3) to the Kankipadu MPPS, as it seemed like a better option than the local government primary school.
In Kankipadu ZPHS, enrolments for Class 6 to 10 have gone up to 415, with 176 new students joining in this academic year (2020-21). At MPPS Kankipadu, where the renovation works have nearly been completed, the number of students has almost doubled, from 172 to 320 students in classes 1 to 5 this year. At MPPS Kolavennu, another ‘demo school’ which saw major renovations, the number of students has gone up from around 100 last year to 210 this year. ZPHS Nidamanuru has also been receiving inquiries for new admissions on a daily basis.
Apart from the steep private school fees that have become a bigger burden since the pandemic, teachers at private schools often tend to ignore students who are “difficult to teach”, according to Anuradha, a maths teacher at Kankipadu ZPHS. “On a few occasions, parents have told me that the private school their child had been going to would segregate students based on their learning abilities. Students who would grasp lessons quickly were put together in one class, while those who take time and more effort are grouped together and would receive less attention,” Anuradha says. “In such cases, when private schools give up on students facing difficulty in learning, parents feel like they’re not getting their money’s worth and switch to government schools,” she adds.
Another reason for rising enrolments is the introduction of English medium as an option in many schools in semi-rural areas. At Kolavennu MPPS, for instance, English medium education has been gradually introduced as an option for classes 1 to 3 over the past three years, and the headmistress Lakshmi says that a proposal has been submitted to introduce English medium for classes 4 and 5 too.
Sirisha, a parent who is a member of the School Management Committee (SMC), says that with English medium education available, the village school is being preferred by parents over more distant private schools. “Because of growing demand from parents, the English medium option is gradually being introduced across schools year by year in lower grades, when it is easier for children to switch. This has also driven enrolments,” says ZPHS Nidamanuru headmaster Suresh Kumar.
With the Nadu-Nedu scheme involving renovation of classrooms and construction of new ones in several schools in the state, these schools are becoming better equipped at accommodating the rising number of students, say school administrators.
For instance, at the Kankipadu Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS), construction of four new classrooms is underway under the Nadu-Nedu scheme. At ZPHS Nidamanuru, the classrooms have received a makeover, with new tiling, green boards and painting works, making them more comfortable spaces that are conducive for learning. The government has announced that it is spending around Rs 3700 crore in the first phase of Nadu-Nedu to improve infrastructure of 15,715 schools. The second phase, which will begin in April, is expected to cost around Rs 4446 crore.
Although attendance was low each time schools reopened in phases (for classes 9 and 10 in November, classes 6 to 8 in January and classes 1 to 5 in February), parents have eventually begun sending children to school, say teachers. At ZPHS Kankipadu, attendance across classes 6 to 10 has been around 70%, says headmistress Vijayalakshmi. In primary schools, attendance has grown to around 50% on average over the past 12 days, Commissioner of School Education V Chinaveerabhadrudu told TNM.
Earlier this month, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had enquired about students' attendance at a review meeting. He has instructed officials that in case of a student’s absence, an SMS must be sent to the parents and a village volunteer must be sent to their house to inquire after the absence. However, teachers say that in most cases of recurring absence, parents are concerned about COVID-19 and that they do not feel comfortable insisting on attendance.
COVID-19 precautions have also been difficult to enforce. Teachers say that although they try to lead by example and give constant reminders, physical distancing and mask protocol are hard to ensure at all times.
While the new and refurbished classrooms do help by providing more space and comfort for the students, at a time when there is a huge learning gap to fill, inadequate teaching staff is the primary concern, say school administrators. With more students per class, teachers say that individual attention to students struggling with learning has become very difficult.
“We usually split each grade into Telugu and English medium sections, so we can teach separately. But now, nearly 80% to 90% of the students in each grade have opted for English medium. Even if we split the class, the English medium class strength would be too high for a single teacher to teach effectively,” a secondary Maths teacher said.
Learning amid the pandemic has mainly happened in form of lessons telecast on television, and through workbooks. While teachers have tried to stay in touch with most old students over the phone, most teachers say that learning new skills or even retaining skills that they had already learned has mainly been dependent on parents’ capacity to support their children. As a result, many students have fallen behind with reading and writing in English, according to teachers.
Teachers say that students who have switched from Telugu medium to English medium this year are facing even more difficulty, with the lost time compounded by teachers being unable to pay individual attention.
However, this year, textbooks for non-language subjects (maths, science, social studies) have been printed in English on one side and Telugu on the other. “The textbooks help to some extent, as students who can read Telugu are able to refer to that version without feeling completely lost,” says ZPHS Nidamanuru HM Suresh.
In primary grades, however, many children have forgotten basic reading skills. “We are having to start from scratch, from reading the alphabet and simple words,” says Kollavenu MPPS HM Lakshmi. With only four months remaining in the academic year, even the reduced syllabus seems like a daunting task, she adds.
Speaking about the slide or loss in learning, Commissioner of School Education V Chinaveerabhadrudu said that it is too early to decide on measures to address the problem. “Schools have opened only a few days back. They are just getting stabilised,” he says, adding that it will take at least a month to assess the situation and take appropriate measures to address these concerns.