Dakshina Kannada plans bridge course for students to grasp lessons well

MANGALURU: The department of public instruction (DPI) in Dakshina Kannada has planned for a month-long bridge course—both in classrooms and online—for children at the beginning of the next academic year. The bridge course is a part of the minimum level of learning strategy.
How does the bridge course work? For example, students who are now promoted to class eight, will be given worksheets of class seven to work on.The DPI is ready with the worksheets, and the bridge course will start from July 1.
Lokesh C, block education officer, Puttur, said online classes held from the past one year have failed to make learning effective. “The basic concept of the bridge course is to prepare a student for the class he has been promoted to. As part of the bridge course, teachers will go back to important topics of the previous year, and pick up important concepts that are relevant to the current year. It will help to master learning competencies and help in better grasping the subject. The ultimate aim of this exercise is to prepare students well for this academic year,” said Lokesh .
Another officer said bridge courses will be held in classrooms as well as online. The worksheets will be distributed to students. For those who do not have cell phones, worksheets are distributed physically, either through parents, or to students themselves. They will work on it and submit it to schools every week. “Besides, classes through TV and radio will continue. We are also planning to have online quizzes,singing, debates and other fun activities, to keep students engaged in the coming days,” the official said.
Bridge courses are important, because the majority of students have forgotten basic academic learning in classrooms, and an effective method of teaching, was denied to children due to the pandemic, a teacher said.
All subjects starting from class IV to class X are included, said Malleswamy, DDPI, Dakshina Kannada. “Students have difficulty grasping core subjects such as science and mathematics. All these subjects are linked to each other, as a student moves to higher classes. This will help students understand subjects that have already been taught. However, changes in current plans will be made, if the state government issues new guidelines,” he said.