Most people now do believe that online class is the best way to keep young students on track during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many other countries in the world, Bangladesh has also adopted distance learning online and many schools are conducting online classes.
There is, however, no specific and well-designed guideline to conduct the online classes. Thus, different schools and educational institutions are conducting online classes and tests according to their ability and choice.
A large number of school teachers in the country are also facing some difficulties to conduct online classes. Some of them don't have adequate devices and logistics. Many of them have to depend on mobile phone data connection which is costly. Those who have broadband Wi-Fi service also sometimes face disruptions. Many students are also not in a position to receive lessons due to a lack of devices and a strong network.
Authorities of some schools offer classes in the evening on the plea that it is virtual teaching and teachers have to spend their evening time instead of morning or afternoon. In some schools, teachers' weekly holidays have also been curtailed to one day from two days. This kind of change is not helpful for teachers as they also need to maintain their regular family lives.
The majority of teachers feel that delivering a lecture before the camera is quite different from doing so in front of students. They can neither make an assessment of how the audience is responding nor can they use their gestures to secure the attention of students. They also do not understand whether students are participating rightly.
Moreover, teachers are unable to give students opportunities for practice in the Zoom-based classroom. Though off-line practice or home task is given, evaluating the task becomes difficult. Some teachers also argue that in the absence of visual cues, it became difficult to follow students' attention and adjust the lessons accordingly.
School teachers, thus, have to put additional effort to make their online classes a success. While students of college and universities can understand the shortcomings of online teaching, it is not the case in school, especially at the primary level. Moreover, a large number of guardians also do not understand the limitations of the systems and fail to cooperate with teachers. This also creates a barrier to conducting online classes. Without the assistance of the guardians, primary and secondary level students are not capable of following lessons online.
In Bangladesh, school teachers are generally not trained to teach online as they have gained their experience in face-to-face communication in classrooms. Online teaching requires some technical skills. It also requires the ability to engage with students online as reliance on certain tools warrants shifting instructions accordingly. Many of them have, however, successfully familiarised themselves with online teaching methods during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, a good number of teachers, especially those who are in villages and semi-urban areas, are yet to be equipped with the changed pattern and practice of teaching. It is because they don't have necessary supports.