Remedial classes help children recover lost learning

Kathmandu, Dec. 17: Ichchha Thing, a seventh grader of Shree Ugratara Secondary School, Sankharapur Municipality, Kathmandu, could not tolerate her peers’ foul mouths, who often used to utter the four-letter word. They also had a habit of bunking classes.

The situation changed after the school children got young brothers and sisters as tutors for three months. Thing further said they got opportunities to learn the missing course during the COVID-19 lockdown when the schools remained shut for months and only 13 per cent of the schools ran online classes.  Like Thing, a total of 8,699 students from grade four to eight from 56 schools of six districts got opportunities to take three months’ remedial classes from June to August 2022 to recover the educational loss caused by the pandemic.

Such classes were conducted by high school and undergraduate students in support of Action Aid Nepal and have proven to be highly beneficial for the students, a research conducted over the impact of the remedial classes showed. The learning achievement of students were found to be improved after remedial classes. Srijana Gaire, a young volunteer tutor of Khanigaun Secondary School of Bagnaskali Rural Municipality, Palpa, had a nice experience as a tutor teaching sixth and seven graders. 

“Although the students didn’t have even the basic knowledge, they were interested in learning in fun-filled environment,” Gaire said, adding that the children took them as brother and sister rather than a teacher. “We all volunteers taught the students in the way they wanted to learn.” 

On the basis of examinations conducted in pre and post remedial classes, the achievement of students increased by around 30 per cent. The survey also illustrated that learning achievement of Dalit, Janajati girl students was higher than others. 

Different reports on the impact on pandemic in education and experiences of teachers pointed to a learning gap among the students when schools were closed for a long time because of pandemic like COVID-19 and earthquake. On the basis of the surveys’ results, educational expert had suggested the authorities running remedial classes in wider scale to recover the educational loss of the students during the pandemic.

Educationist Dr Man Prasad Wagle said at the report launching programme of the Action Aid that the students’ learning achievement was worsening because of disturbance time and again and because of the liberal promotion strategy of the government. He said though in advertisement, private schools are shown producing quality manpower, public schools students seem sharper. 

Dr. Bishnu Karki, another education expert, suggested training teachers and making parents responsible for motivating their wards towards education. He further said that public schools’ education status had been worsening for long, but their poor condition got exposed by the pandemic.

Like Karki, Pramila Chaulaguain, another young volunteer tutor of Nabingram Shikshya Mandir Secondary School, Jarsinghpauwa, Kathmandu shared her bitter experience that she was compelled to teach apple, orange like basic word to sixth graders in the remedial classes.

Sujita Mathema, executive manager of Action Aid Nepal, said although the investment in education is regarded as a guaranteed return, it’s unfortunate that the government invested only 9 per cent of its national budget in education.

Other participants said many parents do not motivate their wards to study well because they think no matter how much they study, they have to go the Gulf as migrant workers once they become eligible to obtain their passport. 

They stressed on making parents aware of the importance of education first. The federal government has prepared the course contents for remedial classes, and different development agencies and some school teachers are using them. But, they have not reached all students as the programmes are not implemented on a grand scale.