Editor,
Apropos of the letter in your esteemed daily by Dushyant Wadhwan (ST July 12, 2021) I am distressed by the caption,‘HIKAI-a headache for teachers.’ At the outset the writer describes it as an admirable App after having gone through the interface of HIKAI and claims it to be at par with online learning portals used in schools and universities abroad. If that be so, then why the above caption? It is not only confusing and misleading but it also misguides. It will upset the teachers, who are putting all-out efforts to make it successful and absolutely productive for their students. However, Wadhwan deserves special thanks for finding the HIKAI portal an admirable one.
We are all aware that the present COVID pandemic has affected everyone but especially the student community at large. Students are specially worried about their uncertain future. At this moment of crisis, the launching of RKM HIKAI portal has relieved many of them. HIKAI portal can be accessed by any student of any school in Meghalaya through free registration. In this period of stagnation, at least the students can continue with their studies sitting at home and do the needful by submitting their assignments etc. for different videos of different subjects. The students of RK Mission schools have already appeared for the 1st Term Examination and even got their online results. The facts and figures are all available in the RKM HIKAI portal. The figures available in the portal itself reflect how popular and useful it has already become among the students.
So far as the RKM teachers are concerned, they too are busy in correcting the assignments submitted by the students through the portal. The statistics of activities performed by the teachers of RK Mission Schools through HIKAI in different districts of Meghalaya are not only overwhelming but also quite appreciable. Through this, they are doing their job sitting at home quite successfully and efficiently. Many of the RKM Teachers hailing from the deep gorges/interiors of Khasi hills have been striving to help their children in uploading the completed assignments. Many of those schools’ performances are more than 80% and in many cases it is 100%. The teachers have neither been grumbling nor been feeling it a headache. Their sheer love and responsibilities towards their students have motivated them to do so. Such acts by our teachers in the interiors, where the network is always very poor and where the community of people are socio-economically challenged they deserve not only appreciation but they should be an eye-opener for those rare few(as mentioned by Wadhwan) who feel that uploading assignments for the students to be cumbersome.
It is surprising to find that the teacher as mentioned by Wadhwan finds it a big stress to upload assignments for his students. What can be more ridiculous than this? The concerned teacher should feel proud that he is trying to help many students because at this time, he neither has to attend to his regular classroom teaching nor involve himself in any activities, which otherwise he should have done on usual school days. This is a real time of struggle when the teachers should be more in contact with their students to boost their morale and guide them so that students do not lose track of education. This is an emergency-situation and the roles played by the teachers towards their students become more significant than ever before.
So far as the submission of 80% of assignments are concerned, there is nothing wrong in it. The students must be given certain specific tasks to ascertain their active presence on the portal to keep them busy in their studies and related activities. Had any such indicator not been set up, the progress of the students would not have reached up to the point as it has reached now. It can be well understood by anyone.
Through the HIKAI portal, RKM authorities have kept both the students and the teachers active during this period of stagnation. Even, Wadhwan deserves special thanks for helping his maid-servant’s child in this regard. Such a noble gesture must motivate many others to come forward and help the socio-economically weaker ones and also help RKM HIKAI portal to become an increasingly helpful one. Because of this COVID pandemic, we cannot sit at home idle for months together doing nothing. Think of those students, who do not have such a system to come to their rescue. It needs no explanation that the adverse to state that sitting at home idle for months together , what may have been happening to them. For the sake of their children, even the parents belonging to the weaker section have been trying their best to help their children. Because there is no way out now but to accept the current situation as a challenge and try the best possible means to overcome it.
So far as the imparting of technical knowledge to the students of different steps regarding accessing and using of the HIKAI portal is concerned, videos are uploaded from time to time for all concerned. Any new technology needs some time for the masses to grasp. But blaming and counter-blaming shall only retard the progress and create unnecessary controversies. When an innovation is being tried out in the best interests of students and teachers it is expected that all should co-operate to make it actively functional. The situation demands that every individual co-operates and helps RKM authorities to make it a very strong portal for each and every student and teacher of the state.
The motto of RKM HIKAL portal is to keep the teachers and the students actively involved with their day to day teaching and learning. Far from being a headache this active digital medium is an innovation that will carve out a constructive way forward through the present period of stagnation and crisis.
Yours etc.,
Indrajit Das
Ramakrishna Mission Teachers’ quarter
Khliehshnong, Sohra
Welcome break from lockdowns
Editor,
The Euros have been a great place of escape for most of us during the last month, especially during these hard times. It has provided us with something to look forward to each night particularly at a time when there are few things to look forward to. The games themselves were entertaining; yes the tournament started off very cagey in the group stages with teams pulling up their opening jabs hesitating to swing hard and constantly testing the waters, as the risk was not worth it, for in this tournament even a third place team would usually qualify provided you win one of the three games. That all changed in the knockouts though and we were treated to that wide variety of football paradigm that the competitive European game with all its prestigious Leagues had to offer.
It always amazes me how art and sports (particularly football for us as a people) manages to provide temporary relief from the stress and strains of daily life. And what the pandemic has taught us especially during the complete worldwide lockdown last year, is that these activities are not trivial but ,in fact, necessary aspects of a functioning civilization, because of the real life lessons they teach us or at least for the sake of keeping us sane if not anything else.
To conclude, one of the lessons that I learned from the finals between England and Italy is that England with its galaxy of attacking “stars” decided to start with five defenders in the final, scored one goal and was happy with it for the rest of the game. It was not until the 71st minute ( after Italy had equalized) that a tactical change was made and in the 199th minute two other ”star” forwards were brought on not to change the game but to take penalties. The Italians on the other hand were decisive and risked everything and ended up winners. “ No risk, no gain.” In football as in life one needs to take chances because it hurts more to lose by playing it safe than losing after you’ve given it your best .
Yours etc.,
Celestial P. Passah,
Via email