Amid COVID-19, Maldives keeps children learning through remote education
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"I’m sad that I can’t physically meet my students every day,” says Widal Jaleeel, a science teacher in Male. “But we’re not disconnected. I meet them twice a week through Google Classroom, and it’s always fun. We tell jokes, catch up on life, and of course, talk a lot about science.”
Widal is one of many teachers in Maldives who are working hard to keep their students motivated and engaged through remote teaching.
, a multilateral institution hosted by the World Bank. The document outlines a set of actions to help minimize learning loss, address the adverse impacts of the pandemic on education, and prepare for the safe reopening of schools.
Since March, more than 91,000 Maldivian students from pre-kindergarten to higher secondary have not been able to go to school.
Before the coronavirus hit, Maldives had already stepped up online education. Every student at government schools in the country received a tablet from the Ministry of Education in 2018—more than 80 percent of students have tablets at home. By embracing digital technologies early on, the country had learned valuable lessons to address the disruptions COVID-19 wreaked on its education system.
For example,
to help them prepare for upcoming examinations. Discussion boards, hosted on social media platforms, have reached nearly 50 percent of all students across Maldives.While rising COVID-19 infection rates have made it riskier for teachers to reach TV stations to record education programs, TV classes are set to resume, said Shuhuda Rizwan, Education Development Officer Coordinator at the National Institute of Education.
Jamaluddin School in the capital city, Male, has been amazed by the teleclasses, or telekilaas she watched online. "[It’s] so easy when the best available teachers explain as they are very informative. And I feel less distracted with noisy students."
Ahmed Shuraim Shamy, a student in theThe government online education platform, Filaa, is a resource repository that includes digital textbooks. Google Classroom and other G-suite education apps allow students, teachers, school administrators, and government staff to create personal accounts and share notes, assignments, and worksheets.
All textbooks for grades two through 10 are available online through Cambridge University Press, the Ministry of Education’s curriculum development partner. The manuals come with interactive learning activities, animations, videos, images, links, and other digital assets.
Parents are also encouraged to embrace and support remote learning for their children, and the Ministry is preparing a strategy to educate them.
Beyond COVID-19, education and training will still face unique challenges as Maldives’s scattered geography and far-flung atolls require specific responses.
The Ministry of Higher Education, in collaboration with the National Knowledge Network of India, is setting up an Education and Research Network (NREN) to connect all higher education institutions and research institutes. The digitization of the Maldives Quality Assurance and digital services for students is ongoing.
The Ministry of Communication, Science, and Technology is leading the effort through policies to develop a digital society that promotes science and research and inclusive and sustainable national development.
Beyond COVID-19, education and training will still face unique challenges as Maldives’s scattered geography and far-flung atolls require specific responses.
But
Great article!
Wonderful to see how these children continue their educational journey. Digital edcuation may very well be the new normal for many students and teachers.
Maldivian students are using tabs for learning , its benefits are their in various angles . Hope form grade 1,2 tabs will be provided by Ministry of Education
In India All India Radio stations and Community Radio stations and Door darshan (TV)are playing a big role in spreading education. State Governments have got times on radio and tv for classes of different subjects from class one to 12th.
Audio Classes for the Students through Radio
Department of School Education in Kashmir, DSEK started audio classes in the valley in collaboration with the All India Radio. The students were able to learn through radio while staying inside their houses. Audio classes started up through radio because Jammu and Kashmir was facing the problem of 4G internet in the state and the students were not able to
study during lock down.
Storytelling on Radio
All India Radio started broadcasting 'captivating stories' by the celebrated author, Ruskin
Bond from 1 May 2020 so that the listeners, who were confined to their homes due to
nationwide lockdown can listen to the 'master storyteller weaves magic on AIR' twice a day,
at 10:10 pm and 7:10 am. People were provided with the option of listening to the show ;Bonding over the Radio to the stories on its application as well as the live stream and both youngsters and adults enjoyed the show. The stories that were exclusively selected by AIR having a wide variety, ranging from autobiographies to ghost, romance to fantasy, tales of boarding schools, animals, and families.