Home_Lessons_vs_E_Learning_Program

#Home_Lessons_vs_E_Learning_Program

Most of the State Govt of our country has directed the self financed schools not to collect the fees from the parents as long as they remain shut due to the COVID 19 pandemic with an extended insturction not to hike the fees for the academic year 2020-21.By the name of RTE Act of Section 16 ; State Govt now is trying to play cards with the School Owners of Unaided Privatley Managed Schools.Today the High Court Judgement is expected to be came out in favour of Private School Owners.Now it is time to stop the flaws from the school sides only to promote the Online Learning Service in Schools.

Now , The tussle is ON; and this time, I would like us to settle this matter diplomatically.

Seriously, I am one of those few who is excited about the e-Learning development. That is why most of my writings have been on how schools can profitably sustain the program at various levels.

Seriously, after my last writings on "How to increase the interest of Parents and Learners using the Competition Strategy", I have received a lot of commendation from several fora - this gesture I can say has motivated this continuation.

Now, in that last writings, I tied the fact that negligence and inaction could have been possible reasons why the e-Learning program is gradually dying. 

I suggested a solution; and I am still very much optimistic that in few weeks’/ time, we shall all begin to reap some good results in their actual facts and figures.

Wishing you all the best with that!

Alright, for this time, I would like to bring our attention to another (a second) underlying distortion that is on-going in which many school Principals/Academic Heads / Directors are acting indifferent to - or possibly ignorant of.

I see many of you trying to be liberal with this occurrence; as if it doesn’t matter – whereas, to me, it does have a good fraction of repercussion on the overall success of your e-Learning program. 

The instance I’m about to cite may not be happening at your school BUT if it is, you should read this piece to the end to get my first hand opinion on it.

The thing is, are you aware that some of the parents in your school could possibly be working on the psyche of your teachers in order to cajole them for home lessons - with the ulterior motive of dumping the school’s e-Learning effort after a while into the home lesson?

Oh yes! This is another important situation worth addressing if you want your e-Learning program to continue to thrive.

See Madam and Sirs, it is just a matter of waiting for the appropriate time, a parent who has succeeded in contracting your staff for home lesson (instead of focusing on the school’s e-Learning) will eventually start seeing both programs as the same and with the same deliverables - thereby trashing one for the other to continue.

Or how do you explain a parent who can conveniently pay your regular school fees but now dragging to pay the e-Learning token? 

Check such parent, there is already someone coming from the backdoor to service the children...in most cases the backdoor service providers are your own staffs. 

You too take a careful evaluation of the scenario, why should one be paying twice for same service with same value?

So, it will only be wise if I (talking for the parent) face and steak with just one of the programs squarely; then trash the other to minimise expenses!

Now the question is, if any is to be dropped, which do you think it would be? 

The one they (parent) are compelled to do as a result of the pandemic situation or the pattern they are familiar with? 

The one they are dragging to pay for or the one they offered to pay for?

So who has the likelihood to lose money - the teacher or the school? 

Of course, your guess is as good as mine. The school!

Now, the irony of the matter is that the same teachers are to be paid their token from the stipends you are expecting to realise from these same parents they are already servicing backdoor.

If you as a teacher from the back door is deflating the tyres, then how do you want the vehicle to get to a forecasted destination? 

So, dear school Principals and Academic Heads, this scenario could have been one other reasons why it seem as if you've been fetching water with a basket.

So, if parents start dumping the school e-Learning program for the home lesson contracts then where are you (the School Principals) expected to get the funds to service/offset your bills at the end?

What I know for sure is that many schools are doing this e-Learning for several reasons – some of which are;

1. To generate revenues in order to keep engaging their teachers.Since teachers lives and sustainance matters, a portion of the little monies realised from the e-Learning is expected to get to them for upkeep while we anticipate the school shutdown to be reversed.

2. To ensure learners are not just left helplessly on their own. Many schools understand that it is the schooling that is shutdown and not learning – so the e-Learning is to serve as a mean to an end.

3. To show the school is responsive, thriving and alive even in the pandemic situation. If as a result of the shutdown, your school switches into slumber, then your leaners that would be left helpless becomes extras to your competitors. So no school wants to resume only for it to start running after its parents already canvassed by another school. 

Now, the above are just few and common reasons; I know there are a few more. 

We all know it is impossible for schools to make profits from the e-Learning alone – so, making profit is obviously out of the equation.

So, what is the way forward out of this dicey scenario you may like to ask?

Well, it boils down to being diplomatic. 

You should have a separate meeting with these stakeholders (i.e. teachers and parents) to discuss the implication of running parallel programs (the good and the ugly of it) – with the motive of making them see reasons to align with the school’s online effort. 

They should be made to understand that 

(a) The e-Learning activity is the new normal; denying their wards from participating in the evolution may have a long term disadvantage on the child when the school eventually resumes. 

e-Learning has come to stay; we are now in the era of 2020 blended education.

(b) It could happen that while others may have adapted, a non-participating child may find catching up a big deal. 

(c) Also, they (the parents) should be made to see the implication on the school finance; and how their decision to run parallel programs could adversely affect the school's fund projections. 

(d) They could as well be made to understand that any of them who have the financial capacity can run both – as it would further help the learner to gain robust understanding of the lessons. 

As for the teachers, you seriously need to agree with them. You shouldn't be fighting-them-dirty if you really need the e-Learning program to succeed. Instead,…

(i) Let them know you aren't angry some of them are doing backdoor home lesson with some families in the school.

(ii) Let them know it’s not an issue but that it threatens the school’s program and agenda for sustenance. 

(iii) Let them know if any parent approaches them for private lesson, they school tell such parent it won’t be problem inasmuch as they (they family) won’t opt-out of the school’s e-Learning program. 

In fact, participation in the school's e-Learning program should be the prerequisite for any home lessons. At least for now in order to show solidarity with your School Principals.

Since lessons are one-day-on-one-day-off, so the days home lessons will not hold, the child could use such days to continue learning via the online medium.

This is being diplomatic right? So everyone WINS by this simple dialogue.

My advice for teachers is that they should portray themselves as loyal entities to the school that has been ‘feeding them’ before the pandemic (and could be ‘feeding them’ after it is over). 

In this regard, they should ensure they don’t strengthen the parents intention to drop the school’s program under the guise of running a home lesson.

The mantra should be… “I (the teacher) am not available for home lessons IF you (the parent) have the intention of pulling out of the school’s e-Learning OR will start being lackadaisical with payments of the subscription fees”.

I won’t blame the teachers because they are now being paid barely half of their monthly stipend as an understanding renumeration due to the school shutdown – so it is only logical for them to  smile at any income avenue in order to augment the pay deficit.

In this time that we are, School Principals are advised to threat their teachers as Kings to get the best out of them - and for the survival of the school's e-Learning programme.