Closure of play-way schools can hamper growth of tiny tots

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 11

With around 40-45 per cent playway schools in Ludhiana facing closure due to Covid pandemic over the past one year, the tiny tots and their parents are a troubled lot. Apart from the woes of teching and other support staff who have virtually lost their livelihood, the kids too are bearing the brunt of the closure of their schools. Playway schools play an important role in inculcating several important traits and skills in young children and prepare them for formal school life. Child-psychologists believe that the development of small children, necessary for the ages between 2-5 years, will be hampered in the absence of a stint in play schools where they are in the hands of trained staff. The training they receive in these schools can not be given in the four-walls of their homes by parents.

Talking to The Tribune, Shubhan Soi, Territory Head (Punjab) Early Childhood Association said that due to the prevailing conditions of pandemic, these play-way schools could not sustain and many of them were closed as these were operating from rented buildings. “Since there were no admissions, parents too did not show eagerness to spend so much on online classes of small kids”, he added. 

Jyoti Madan, a city-based child psychologist, said if kids are not sent to the play-schools, they will not be able to learn several basic life skills. Their emotional, social, peer-group, language development would suffer because at homes, suitable atmosphere could not be provided to the kids.” These activities are necessary for the overall development of the child, which can not be given by the parents alone, at home”, she added.

“The impact is already being witnessed in children. Their cognitive, social, motor-skill development has been impacted. The kids are not having any social interaction and are showing signs of emotional disturbance. They crib and get disturbed. The parents can not involve them in a structured manner, the way they are treated in play-way schools. All these things matter and it is high time to find solution to all these problems”, said the psychologist.

One of the parents, Sheena, said the fee of a good play-way school is exorbitant and it was not prudent to spend so much on the online activities of kids. “Online classes do not provide any kind of exposure to the child. They can not 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. The problem of Covid 19 is global and we can not blame each other. We can not hold others responsible if our kids are being deprived of that kind of exposure. As a mother, I am trying to provide all the training to my child but still play-way teaching is missing”, said the mother.