How one school is responding to covid-19

Graphic.com.gh Adverts Jun - 26 - 2020 , 15:36

With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in the rampage, schools have been forced to shut down to prevent the spread. This has put parents, especially those with children under 12 years, in a rut, trying to figure out how to keep their children busy and learning. This is critical because children at this age need a strong foundation in order to grow intellectually and become strong academically in the future.

Schools have had to think of ways around the situation so as not to keep the burden of teaching on the parents. Learning Skills International School(LSIS) is one of those schools that has gone above the situation we currently find ourselves in.

They have gone out of their way to ensure that the parents and children have access to learning material. LSIS has taken advantage of the digital age and organises online classes for the children. Daily pre-recorded video lessons are uploaded online by the teachers as well as weekend zoom classes.

A survey was conducted where parents were asked questions that relate to the time spent, use of technology, engagement and choice when it comes to remote learning. Parents of the children from different classes responded to this survey as seen in the diagram below where a large percentage (52%) of them had children in Nursery 1-2.

From the results, it was observed that 67% of the parents spend 1-2hours a day with their children on the work sent on the online platform and 51% percentage monitor and supervise their kids learning as they believe that this is the best way to keep them in check. This is an overall good sign as it means that the parents are receptive towards the online system.

These classes have been seen to be engaging and interesting by not only the children but also the parents. The children have the opportunity to see their peers and teachers and interact with them and the parents get a little time for themselves while their children are occupied. The survey revealed that 52% of parents admitted they felt that their children felt somewhat connected to their teachers and peers especially during their online zoom classes.

The parents also appreciated how interactive the classes were and how caring the children’s teachers were as they would follow up with them just to know how their kids were doing as seen in fig6.

The remote learning however, came with some challenges. From the survey, it was observed that these challenges include bad network and high data charges, a problem every Ghanaian is familiar with. This was expressed by 49% of the parents as shown in the graph below. Another 38% (31%+7%) of parents expressed that they were unavailable supervise and monitor their children as they work and also they had software issues as they may not be technologically inclined. These seemed to be the most pressing issues observed by the parents. 21% of parents voiced out that their children had a low attention span making it difficult for them to get them to concentrate.

In efforts to assist parents, LSIS has gone the extra mile to provide parents with internet data, to reduce the load on them. These are difficult times and some parents are not able to work due to the circumstances rendering them short of funds. The school has also included in their policy that they would not leave any child behind. Parents who genuinely cannot afford to pay their school fees, would be allowed to partake in the classes until they have the means to. There are also arrangements with parents who do not have the time, to allow a teacher go to their house twice a week to have one on one lessons with the children, at no extra cost.