'Teachers went Door-to-Door to Share School Instructions'

Q. Is your child attending school regularly? Have they got masks and sanitisers from the government?

Parent: My daughter goes to school every week, but I do not count when she does and when she doesn’t. Yes, she was given a mask a long time back, but no sanitisers were given.

Q. Did you receive any instructions before sending your child to school?

Parent: Yes, we were asked to send our children to school with masks. We were also told to send them regularly to school in school uniforms and also to buy books for them. Teachers went door-to-door to share these instructions.

Q3. Are children also being taught online? If yes, are you satisfied with the education provided through this mode?

Parent: No, children are going to school. During the lockdown, they were being taught through television programmes on Doordarshan, but the children did not understand anything through that medium. They could not even ask questions if they had doubts or weren’t able to understand something. This was also a reason why children were not interested and did not read.

Q. Have you noticed any change in your child’s interest towards studying since the schools have reopened?

Parent: My child goes to school, after that what she studies, whether she is interested in it, I don't know about it. See, I have not studied and do not ask her about it either.

Q. Are your children getting any kind of worksheets from their teachers? Are there discussions concerning your child’s learning with their teachers?

Parent: No worksheets have been given. When the school was closed, she used to receive something related to reading on WhatsApp, but now she is going to the school, so must have got it. I have not seen it though. There has been no discussion on this with her teacher.

Q. Has your child received a stipend for their uniform from the school?

Parent: Yes, we received the money for the uniform and scholarship. We had been asked to open a joint account for my child and me, we received the money in the same account.

This interview was conducted with a parent in Bihar in Hindi on 23 December 2021, and has been translated.

Source: Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash