A PhD holder from Cambridge University, UK, Dr Sunita Gandhi is the vision behind the Global Education & Training Institute (GETI) and Global Classroom Private Limited (GCPL). With her several years of experience in the education industry, Dr Gandhi has managed to create a space for herself in the history of revolutionizing the academic system.
Most governments around the world have temporarily closed schools, colleges and other educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UNESCO estimates, with the closure of educational institutions across the world, over 154 crore students are severely impacted amidst the outbreak of COVID-19. In the post-pandemic world, ensuring adherence of safety protocols at educational institutions will be difficult for teachers, students and parents alike.
Education institutions are considering changes related to social-distancing by implementing changes to entry and exit points, seating arrangement, many sections in one class and alternate day class for the safety of the little ones. Most education managements are taking regular meetings with the board members to shortlist the changes to be made for students to practice social distancing in the classroom while seeking education. Children might be able to enter and exit the school in a structured way, but practising social distancing in the classroom will be the biggest concerns for teachers.
The pre-primary students who need assistance for everything from their helpers and teachers are the biggest challenge to adhere to social distancing norms at schools. With pre-primary students implementing classes in shifts will be difficult as they need rest in the 2nd half of the day. Therefore, educational institutions can look at exercising alternate day classes for primary and secondary students while split the first half in 2 sperate shifts for pre-primary students. Schools will also be facilitating virtual attendance for students who don’t come to school due to health or any viable issues. In the current situation, the alternate-day classes solution seems to be the new normal for students.
While students will be adjusting to the new normal of seeking education, likewise the teachers will also follow the same rule. With the new adjustments, the teachers are required to focus on completing the curriculum and planning exams and tests for the students. The evaluations of such tests can also happen online to help practice social distancing while imparting knowledge and testing the same.
In the post-COVID-19 pandemic world, the responsibility of sanitization and hygiene will be shifted onto technology, machines, and so on to keep the educational institutions a safe place. Sanitation tunnels or machines are to be installed along with temperature monitoring process to check the daily body temperature of each individual students.
Other primary concerns for educational institutions are the restroom breaks and lunch breaks, as students tend to share their food and crowd toilets during break time. It is very difficult to make students understand why sharing food at such health crisis situation is not advisable. Along with teachers, even parents have to make the kids understand the importance of such things.
In the post-pandemic world, even if the schools are reopened, most of the educational institutions will ensure to conduct maximum online classes or lectures while monitoring the screen time of the students. Ensuring that students are attending the lectures, the schools might provide with official ids for individual students.
Parents will play an active role in preparing the students for adjusting with the new system that involves social distancing, experiencing precautions, sanitization, hygiene and many more.
More about Dr Sunita Gandhi
After completing her PhD from Cambridge University, UK, Sunita went on to become President and Co-Founder, Council for Global Education, USA. While academics remained her first love, she wanted to leave an impact on the younger minds rather than spending her youth in a closed environment. And so, she travelled across the globe and studied the education systems of 39 countries and spoke at several conferences including the recently held BETTA Asia. This passion for education comes as a family heirloom to Sunita as they are known for running the world’s largest school, Guinness World Record holder, City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow. CMS is also the world’s sole school recipient of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.
Dr Sunita Gandhi has spearheaded many institutions in her career and has been vocal about her views on how the education systems across the globe need a new and advanced approach as opposed to the conventional way of teaching. Known for industry knowledge, research, and leadership skills, she has been honoured the prestigious Young Professional Programme (YPP); presented with the Most Outstanding Contribution to Development Award; and invited to Finland as the keynote speaker for their largest gathering of educators by the Finnish National Board of Education.
She has also pursued her research in Iceland, UK and India, focused on the premise of ‘Compete With Yourself’, which has also been published in a 2017 print edition by Palgrave Macmillan, UK.
It is her commitment to be the change, that over 1000 schools in the country, as well as overseas, have adopted her curriculum and assessments. Yet, she is unstoppable! With the support of her family, a team of 140 140 national and international advisors and trainers from across the world, she determined ‘nurture children into confident, competent and caring individuals, capable of making a meaningful contribution to their family, society and the world.’