The district administration’s decision to shift to online classes at educational institutions has put special educators in a dilemma. The children with special needs whom they educate mostly need a one-to-one approach and their classes are mostly activity oriented. Hence, online classes are not practical for such children for the long term, they said.
“We had faced the same issue during COVID too. For two years we had classes that were least effective. Besides, it created a huge academic gap for the students, which they have not overcome yet. Many students did not even want to come back to school after COVID as they had lost the continuity,” said Shahul Madavur, chairman of the Society for Rehabilitation of the Differently Abled.
Ashik Manomohanan, another special educator pointed out that the attention span of special students is much lower compared to others and hence, they may often be distracted in the class. “We can teach these students online only if their parents are nearby to guide them. It may not be possible in the case of working parents,” he said. He also pointed out that gadgets may not be available to most students in the absence of their parents at home.
Most special schools are yet to decide their mode of action for the mandatory online classes. “The only solace is that this phase may end in a week,” Mr. Ashik added.
