Covid casts shadow on playway schools

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 11

About 40-45 per cent of the playway schools in the district have faced closure. It can cost dear on the overall personality of the kids. Child psychologists believe that the development of children between 2-5 years of age would be hampered in absence of proper schools and trained staff as this training cannot be given in the four-walls of home by the parents.

Talking to The Tribune, Shubhan Soi, Territory Head (Punjab) Early Childhood Association, said amid the pandemic, the playway schools could not sustain and many of them were closed as these were in rental buildings. Since there were no admissions, parents did not show eagerness to spend so much on online classes of small kids. Soi said when the staff was not paid the salaries by the pre-schools, they left for other opportunities.

One of the child psychologists, Jyoti Madan said if kids are not sent to the playway schools, they will not be able to learn their basic life skills. Their emotional, social, peer-group, language development would suffer because at homes, such an atmosphere could not be provided to the kids. These activities are necessary for the overall development of the child, which cannot be given by the parents alone, at home.

“Kids cognitive, social, motor-skill development gets affected. The kids are not having any social interaction, they are being emotionally disturbed. They crib and get disturbed. The parents cannot involve them in a structured manner, the way they are treated in playway schools,” said the psychologist.

One of the parent, Sheena said the fees of a good playway school is exorbitant and it was no fun to spend so much on the online activities of kids. “Online classes do not provide any kind of exposure to the child. They cannot play with the toys, there are no gardens available for outdoor activities. Besides, there are no other children with whom you learn to get adjusted and there are no opportunities to become independent while telling your problems to the teachers, friends at a tender age of 2-4 years. We cannot hold others responsible if our kids are being deprived from that kind of exposure. I am trying to provide all the training to my child but still play-way teaching is missing”, said the mother.

Major reasons for closure

n Many of these were on rental buildings, which could not continue to pay the rents

n The overheads were not paid as there were no admissions and the government had announced closure of schools.

n Many parents feel that there is no use in spending hefty amount on online teachings in playway schools.