Due to the worse weather conditions, the several schools have extended their winter holidays till January 21, 2023. As students and teachers are familiar with online classes, some stakeholders propose switching to online classes in January to keep students safe from severe weather.
According to the report published by The Indian Express, Nindiya Saket, principal of Manav Rachna International School Noida, Uttar Pradesh, said, “During the pandemic, we have learnt how to conduct online classes and realised we cannot remove the technology from the student’s life. After the physical education method, the best way to provide education to the students is online classes. Since learning must happen, I am in favour of extended winter holidays as the students are still learning even if it is passive learning.”
Prachi Sharma, vice principal of Delhi Public School Sonepat, Haryana said this is the crucial month in terms of academics not just for senior students but also for the junior students. Personal interaction is very important but at the same time it is mandatory to take care of our students, she added. “In my opinion instead of taking a blanket decision of extending the winter vacation for the entire month, we should take a flexible approach. Online classes can be taken if the weather conditions do not allow offline classes,”, Sharma said, reported IE.
Dhruv Makhija, class 10 student at St. Peter’s College Agra, Uttar Pradesh, said he has interest in virtual classes instead of extending winter breaks. He said that schools should opt for online classes as extending winter breaks will cause a delay in finishing the syllabus on time.
Sheetal Jerath Sharma who is a parent of an eight year old studying in Nirmal Bhartia School, New Delhi said that the schools should not have an option of extending winter breaks. Since winters last for one and a half months, schools should either switch to the online classes or extend their opening hours, he added.
Nishant Bhardwaj who is a parent of a six year old studying in Vatsalyam School Noida, Uttar Pradesh, said that switching schools to virtual education is not a good option as it will hinder the habit of asking questions and reduce the natural child’s curiosity. Instead of conducting online classes, the schools should give them homework during the holidays, he added, reported IE.