Khursheed Ahmad Wani
After the outbreak of Corona, the hapless populations of Jammu and Kashmir were put under precautionary measures and advised to follow SOP’s. It flare-up when we resumed our duties after winter vacations. Educational institutions were shut at short notice due to piling up of covid cases which halted the educational system. The government has taken necessary steps to deal with it and save the children’s careers. To impart education and to save the educational sector, blended learning system has been introduced and implemented in which teachers and students are distant by time or by space. In this learning environment, teacher imparts education to students through Information and Communication technology based methods such as mobile learning, online-offline classes etc. In the initial stage, teachers were reluctant to come up on virtual education system. I remember the bold act of Mr Bilal Ahsan Dar, one of the best teachers of Zone Mawer who step ahead to deliver a lesson on Zoom App. This Virtual class triggered a new lease of life in our teacher fraternity and from then onwards nobody looked behind. According to UNESCO, “Teachers are one of the most influential and powerful forces for equity, access and quality in education and a key to sustainable development.” So education sector need to regularly update and reform teaching learning process. Also impart trainings to teachers to ensure that all teachers can harness technology for education as we are living in a digital era where a person without the knowledge of ICT is like the one from maladjusted category. Teachers from all sections tie up with this learning environment and left no stone unturned in imparting education to students. In the Pandemic, we learnt how essential the virtual education is? In the last article titled, ‘Alas! Traditional Brains’ I tried to wake up the parents to use technology and to highlight the introduction / importance of LMS-Learning Management System, a portal which is school specific and brings both the teachers and students in one platform. Till now 1150 schools has been registered on the LMS including Elementary and Secondary level institutions in Kupwara. As per the directions from DSEK, 112 schools from Kupwara are selected as Pilot Schools where blended learning is in apple-pie order. These PS’s are keenly monitored by DNO Mr Sofi Fayaz (Technically sound and noble person). To reach the unreachable places (remote places), notes and assignments were distributed among the students. A big number of students unable to take advantage of blended learning due to lack of network access.
Learning in the lap of nature is a unique opportunity. It will provide quality education to students thereby they will be able to know the importance of environment.
The most influential administrator, educationist Dr A.H. Samoon Sir recently tweeted to start community schooling in open areas. After that tweet, District head circulated the precious words (we should take the word of the officer as an order in difficult situations) in his jurisdiction through different modes. Keeping in mind these invaluable words, he initiated community schooling throughout the district, which brought prosperity to the entire district in the field of learning environment. Learning in the lap of nature is a unique opportunity. It will provide quality education to students thereby they will be able to know the importance of environment. If the exams are taken in the coming days, it will be cakewalk for the whole district as we are mentally ready. It is pertinent to mention the name of Chief Education officer Kupwara A.H Fani who is a vigilant, coherent and dynamic officer. Under his thumb all the ZEO’S/DRG’s / DRP’s/ZRP’s/CRP’s /Technical teams take the bull by the horns. He is monitoring the whole scenario of the District personally and inspecting the far off places like Misri Behak, Doodi Machil, Ringpayeen, RingBala, Pushwari, keran and Machil. During the extensive tour to far flung areas, the concerned CEO inspected about 60 institutions including Senior Secondary, Secondary, Middle and Primary Institutions, and met with about two hundred teachers and directed them to start community schooling at an earliest. Also he interacted with VDC/PRI’s at Keran and Machil. Posolutely! Kupwara is blessed to have such kind of an officer.
( The author is teacher in J&K School Education Department. Views are exclusively his own)
