After almost a year of distance learning, a full return to face-to-face teaching still seems a long way off for most Indian schools. In Hyderabad, at least students from grade 6 can now return to classroom learning.

For almost a year, schools in India have been closed for most pupils. For the children and teenagers supported by Usthi, the conditions for learning at home are usually anything but ideal. Usthi would therefore very much welcome a resumption of classroom teaching for all levels as soon as possible.

Recently, we received good news. In Hyderabad, the green light has been given to resume classroom teaching for additional grades. As of this month, all students from 6th grade onwards are again allowed to attend classes in Hyderabad. There is hope that more grades will follow soon.

The situation in West Bengal is less optimistic. In western India, Corona case numbers are rising again and regional lockdowns are occurring once more. Fortunately, the regions where the Usthi schools are located are currently not affected. The schools will remain open for the final year classes and hopefully the exams can take place in June as planned.

For the younger school children, the situation remains challenging. A return to face-to-face teaching for all classes is still not in sight and is not expected until early summer at the earliest. The impact on the pupils’ learning success is still difficult to assess. In order to ensure that the school children do not keep up, the teachers make home visits to check and support the learning successes.