Express news service

BENGALURU: “I dread another round of online courses,” said Rose (name changed), a freshman at a private college affiliated with the University of the City of Bengaluru. She is one of many students who fear returning to online mode after more than a year during the pandemic because they feel they have not acquired the skills they expected.

Students from various colleges who spoke to TNIE were concerned that exams would be right around the corner and professors would quickly complete hands-on classes while waiting for online classes to restart. This comes against the backdrop of the proliferation of Covid clusters in educational institutions in Karnataka and the global emergence of the Omicron variant.

For students like Sana (name changed), a second year student, online classes have already started two months ago. “Since the first year students started classes in October, we have been asked to attend classes online. But the exams are scheduled offline, ”she said. “Over a year has been lost due to the online courses, and I have not been able to fully exercise my leadership skills,” added Sana, who is the class representative.

Psychologist Manika Ghosh, president of the Bangalore Psychology Forum, agreed that online courses do not solve problems such as bullying, while in physical classes schools have prevention mechanisms. “The online setup also had an impact on the holistic development of the students, including the development of relationships,” she added. As a result, teachers need to deal with students in a more sensitive way and the teaching methodology needs to change, she noted.

“It has been almost two years since, but many teachers are still not geared towards online courses. Many teachers are struggling with technology, ”she said. Karnataka Government College Teachers’ Association (KGCTA) President TM Manjunath agreed that no training had been organized for teachers. However, College Education Department Commissioner Pradeep P insisted that the training was held online for teachers and that a learning management system provided for courses and PPTs for two semesters. .