COVID-19: 80 KVs as quarantine centres, 7 lakh students study online

Source: Shutterstock

Team Careers360 | April 20, 2020 | 04:50 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) which runs around 1200 central schools has joined the country’s fight against COVID-19 in a big way.

At least 80 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) will function as quarantine centres while 32,000 teachers are taking online classes for around seven lakh students.

The staff of KVs has already contributed Rs 10.41 crore to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PMCARES) fund.

KVs as quarantine centres

The school buildings with good infrastructure have become a boon for civic authorities as the number of people affected by the coronavirus is on the rise. Competent authorities have taken over at least 80 KVs across the country to use them as quarantine centres for COVID-19 suspects. “The classrooms of KV school buildings will be used for temporary housing of suspected COVID-19 cases,” an official statement said.

Teachers stand up to the challenge

To ensure the continuity of education, the teachers are connecting with their students through digital platforms. The statement said 32,247 teachers are taking online classes for 7,07,312 students through various online platforms.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has designed an essential protocol for the online classes and shared it with all the principals of the KV schools along with necessary action points to engage their students in learning through digital modes.

It has also shared the schedule and timings of recorded and live programmes of NIOS lessons for secondary and senior secondary classes from SWAYAM PRABHA portal.

The principals and teachers are also focusing on students’ mental well-being with the help of 331 trained counsellors who have been engaged on a part-time contract basis, the statement added. “Till last Friday queries from 2393 students and 1648 parents have been received which have been attended promptly.”

The KV teachers are using online resources and conducting classes through WhatsApp, Google Classroom, Khan Academy and other resources like Skype, ePathshala, Zoom, Diksha, Microsoft Team, YouTube and NIOS online classes. Mobile applications like NCERT app, NCERT e-learning are also used by teachers to cater to students from classes 2 to 12.