Teacher sets up workspace on tree to conduct online classes amid COVID lockdown

As many schools, colleges and universities have opted for online classes for the students till the Coronavirus situation reaches to normalcy in the country, a teacher in West Bengal has set up his workplace on a tree so that he can take online classes without any network disruptions. The teacher Subrato Pati from a village in Bankura said that the village has poor network connectivity and the signals are not everywhere.

"We don't get network signals everywhere in our village.I take different classes from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm",he said.

The classes in all schools, colleges, and universities are temporarily suspended until further notice in a view to contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

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Subrato Pati is seen using his smartphone to conduct his online classes in a small shade that he has set up on a tree.

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CBSE to assess the loss of time for students

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is considering rationalising the syllabus for classes 9 to 12 for the next academic year to make up for lost time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board is presently in the process of assessing the situation, as well as the loss, and a call in this regard will be taken accordingly.

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had last week announced an alternative academic calendar for students enrolled in classes 1 to 5 to be followed as they study at home due to the lockdown. The council is in the process of developing similar plans for higher classes as well.

"NCERT has come out with revised activities calender for classes 1-8, the CBSE is assessing the situation and loss time to rationalise syllabus for classes 9-12 and inform in due course of time," a senior board official said.

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Coronavirus situation in India

The total number of positive Coronavirus cases across the country rose to over 20,471, including 15,859 active cases of the virus. So far, 3,959 patients are cured/discharged while 652 deaths have been recorded, as per data provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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(With inputs from agency)