Only 19 per cent parents believe online classes effective

A child attends an online class at his home. File pic/Nimesh Dave

While schools across the country are reopening in phases, 67 per cent of the parents polled recently want a complete resumption of classes on the campus. A similar percentage [69 per cent] of parents had voted against sending their children to school in the last month's survey. In July, 97 per cent of those polled were against reopening of schools.

One of the reasons behind a major shift in their opinion is the effectiveness of online schooling, introduced amid the pandemic, according to the survey conducted earlier this month. Many parents have expressed disappointment at the online method of education.

As the pandemic induced a sudden shift away from the classroom and towards online classes, the survey sought to know how effective online classes have been. Only 19 per cent parents believe online learning is effective, while 79 per cent of them feel that they are not as helpful as regular classes.

The survey was conducted by LocalCircles - a community social media platform that has been conducting such opinion polls since the pandemic struck the country. The survey received more than 16,000 responses from parents located in 294 districts across 24 states.

Parents who are in favour of reopening of schools still have different opinions on when classes should resume. While 20 per cent of polled parents want schools to reopen from March, 13 per cent want from April and 32 per cent from June or July this year.

"However, one thing that most parents seem to agree on is the fact that an alternative medium is now in place for emergencies like COVID-19 pandemic that can also be utilised when there are other reasons for children to stay indoors. The online mode, which is now established, will help ensure that children don't lose out on classes during such times," said Sachin Taparia, founder of LocalCircles.

79
Percentage of parents unhappy with online learning