Delhi: Parents, teachers discuss educational, emotional needs of children in mega PTM

NEW DELHI: Understanding the educational and emotional needs of students in the post-Covid era was the focus of a mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) held across over 1,000 Delhi government schools on Saturday. This was the first PTM in Delhi government schools after the institutions completely shifted to offline mode of teaching and learning.

"Schools were closed for almost two years due to the pandemic. This not only harmed the education of our children but also affected their ability to think, understand and be happy. Now, the need of the hour is to fix this together. Joint efforts by parents and teachers will help children cope with the post-pandemic situation better," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

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"During the Covid lockdown, schools were shut and students were confined to their houses. Even teachers were meeting parents virtually most of the time. But in-person mega PTM was an opportunity where parents shared their concerns with teachers freely and without any hesitation," he said. The teachers are always available for parents to answer their queries related to their children and are working hard on bridging the competency gap caused due to the pandemic, Sisodia added.

A majority of the parents' queries revolved around social and emotional well-being of their wards, ways to plug in learning gaps and getting studies back on track. According to officials, the mega PTM was part of a two-phase recovery plan of the Delhi government that aims to bridge the competency gap caused due to COVID-19, prepare students to acquire basic foundational literacy and skills, and focus on emotional well-being of children.

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"Under this, the Directorate of Education (DoE) has reduced the syllabus and is exclusively focusing on emotional and academic well-being of students through various activities in schools such as extended Happiness Classes, Mission Buniyaad Classes, surveys on learning levels, revision of previous worksheets, etc. Schools are engaging with the community deeply to understand the situation of the students and to track them back to schools," a senior official said.