Through the Lens: Life and Politics in Asia

Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Lockdown in India

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Through the Lens: Life and Politics in Asia | Society | South Asia

Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Lockdown in India

An Indian tutor teaches from her balcony with kids sitting a floor below

As the COVID-19 lockdown carries on in India, one of the strictest in the world and which has been going on for nearly two months, a volunteer tutor doesn’t want to give her pupils — studying in kindergarten schools — extended holidays or have them attend classes online. Realizing that they might soon begin to forget all they had learned, the teacher, Madhu Sehgal, came up with an idea that could allow her to teach them in person while being safely distant. So she decided to teach from the balcony of her house, asking the kids to come with their desks and chairs and sit in front of her balcony. It worked. The kids are happy, and so are their parents. The teacher says that the continued classes have given her a sense of fulfillment of the mission of her life.