Govt plans special course to bridge learning gap at West Bengal schools

KOLKATA: The state’s school education department is working on a bridge course to help students make up for the learning gap in the past year and a half, ever since educational institutes have been shut in the pandemic.
An expert committee has been set up to prepare a module for the bridge course that will bring students up to speed.

The government plans to start with classes IX to XII so that those appearing for the boards are better prepared.The committee members have started meeting teachers from different parts. “A student who was in class VII in March 2020 will be in class IX in January 2022. A proper programme is required to help them bridge the learning gap,” said a school education department official.
Under the course, sources said key concepts that were taught in classes VII and VIII would again be taught to IX students. Class X students will be taught concepts from classes VIII and IX. These lessons will precede teaching of the actual syllabuses for IX and X. A similar exercise will be carried out for XI and XII.
While Madhyamik and HS schools in Kolkata and other major towns could hold online classes, those in smaller towns and villages in Bengal have not had any class since March 2020 due to the digital divide. “There have been very few programmes, like online classes, phone conversations and activity tasks, in government and government-aided schools. Many have missed crucial portions or have not understood concepts properly but have been promoted. This is an attempt to help bridge that gap in learning,” the official explained.'
Kailash Vidyamandir headmaster Biswajit Mitra said, “The programme to fill the gap is crucial for students. But what about the teachers have also been out of the process for the past year and a half and need to be re-trained?”