Teachers fear job loss, more rural students drop-out in blended learning system

Aurangabad, June 14:

Teachers of colleges and universities are against University Grants Commission (UGC)’s blended learning system, fearing job loss, more drop-out of rural students and impact on thinking their ability.

It may be noted that the UGC has decided to implement a blended learning system in colleges and universities across the country. The draft of blended learning is in the public domain for feedback and suggestions. Under the new system, there will be 30 per cent online teaching and 70 per cent offline. The online education pc would be increased up to 70 pc gradually. Many teachers and their unions feel that this would result in job losses.

Commenting on this, district vice-president of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and College Teachers Organisation (BAMUCTO) Dr Maroti Tegumpure said that students face-to-face interaction with teachers is necessary to clear doubts and solved problems encountered in lecture.

He said many students special in rural areas have no interest in online learning because they do not have the required Internet or computer facility, which was observed in online teaching during the recent Covid lockdown.

“Teaching should be a two-way communication than one-way. The expected development of students will not take place in online learning. Thousands of posts of assistant professor to professors are vacant in different universities of the country. The posts will not be filled due to online teaching. What about those who have completed Ph D, NET or SET and waiting for recruitment for the past several years. Also, because of the new system, around 30 pc existing teachers would stand surplus. This means it will render more people jobless,” he uttered.

General secretary of Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University and College Teachers Organisation Dr Suryakant Jogdand affirmed that the intention behind introducing blended teaching is simply to privatise education higher education field.

“The higher education has not reached completely to the lowest level section of society even after 70 to 75 years of Independence. The Government should make ‘Smart Classes’ for students first in every school. The reason is that many educational institutes do not have Internet and electricity connectivity and computers. How their students will study?. The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning was launched many years ago, imparts online education to all students. Less than 20 pc candidates registered for their ‘Massive Open Online Courses,” he said.

Dr Jogdand said that even in offline learning, Engineering and Management colleges face closure, so what will happen if 30 to 40 pc online learning is made compulsory.

“Teachers will be just knowledge provides and not creators. How thinking of students would be developed in isolation.

Online teaching will reduce job opportunities in aided institutions in the coming days. One teacher will have to do multi-tasks like teaching, taking examinations and assessing tutorials. Will he be able to spend time for good planning of teaching and research,” he asserted.