Faces of BlinkNow: Naim
Sunday, January 17, 2021
“We aren’t a developed or resource-rich community. Ordinary concepts and technologies in well-off communities could be mind-boggling here in Surkhet. It was the same with distance learning. At first, our Kopila Valley teachers and students couldn’t imagine that it’s possible to continue education even when just staying at home. The circumstances are also different here. Most of our students and teachers lack technology and internet access in their homes. So, it’s difficult for us to implement distance learning. But we did it, step by step.
Our teachers started by tracking each of our students and their families to check on their well being. We then produced and distributed printed modules for the entire school year amidst the COVID-19 crisis. It’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s even more difficult when you’re also dealing with the consequences of the pandemic on a more personal level. Teachers have to look after their own children and family and adjust both mentally and financially. Top it up with total changes in the working environment and methods of teaching to ensure continuity in the education of your students. It can be too much to handle. I remember one of our teachers who didn’t have a laptop to create students’ weekly reports. She had to send me students’ weekly updates through her cellphone, and I adjusted it in a proper report format on my laptop each time. It went on for a month until she could buy a laptop for herself. I also met another teacher who had become very thin, perhaps because of work and worries.
I’m proud of our teachers. They have shown a great deal of resourcefulness to overcome difficulties brought on by the pandemic. They have remained resilient and motivated to practice their profession for the sake of their students’ future. They were definitely stressed out but they persevered because they knew how important their roles have become during this distressing occasion. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Naim, Kopila Valley School Principal