The world is locked down – The phrase sounds bizarre and unreal, but it is unfortunately true and a one of a kind experience for the entire human race collectively. 

The unpreparedness is understandable and so is the uncertainty and wariness about this situation. No one really knows what the future holds and everyone is willing to do their bit to cope with this unprecedented crisis. There is an overdose of information about COVID-19, which is taking its toll on the mental and emotional wellbeing of the general public. To maintain a semblance of order and ensure a certain level of routine it is important for students as well as parents to keep reinventing new ways to keep themselves positively engaged. 

The world saw an upsurge in the demand for digital and online platforms, especially in the education sector. Kalorex was always in the forefront in taking proactive measures to ensure its stakeholders remain completely updated and aware of the developments taking place across the country and the world, way before the actual lockdown was announced on the 24th of March. 

March is generally the time when the Goal setting activity takes place across the Kalorex group. This is an intensive exercise where collaborations and SLAs are decided and targets are set for the entire year. Undeterred by the lockdown, all planned schedules went on undisturbed and annual plans were put in place through a spate of con calls, Zoom meetings, G – Meets and intensive discussions through back to back sessions to ensure alignment and commitments.

March is also the time for teacher training activities to be undertaken before the new academic session commences. Sticking to the plan, the teacher trainings were conducted by the Academic team members over the Zoom platform in the last week of March. The Google Drive feature was extensively used for uploading and sharing lesson plans and split plans with the entire teaching staff across the schools.

Kalorex has also advised its staff members to enroll for an online course to be completed during the lock down period, which will further enhance their knowledge, skill and qualification and also give a boost to their confidence and utilize their time in constructive activities. With that, Online Spoken English tests are being taken by teachers on a regular basis to improve their English Speaking and Listening Skills 

Online teaching had already been initiated for the students of class 10 and 12 from the mid of March. The Zoom platform was identified and proved to be effective for this aspect. With the new academic session to begin in April, the same platform was extended for other classes of the secondary school and schedules were immediately shared with students and parents. The teachers transitioned from face to face teaching to screen to screen teaching without many hiccups.  Kalorex was one of the first group of schools to implement online teaching activities in all its schools without any change in the school calendar. This move was unanimously appreciated by parents and students alike who were excited to explore this new but now undisputed teaching learning design. For the pre- primary and primary sections, keeping in mind limiting the screen time, some daily tasks and activities are shared over the school portal with students, and parents cooperate in ensuring the completion of tasks. 

Keeping in mind that there are families where both parents need to work from home and also look after their home and children’s studies, the online teaching was limited to 2-3 classes per day. 

 

The school portal is being continuously used by the entire group of staff and teachers to update and assess the student work and document data at all administrative and academic levels. The portal is linked to the Kalorex Parent App through which the parents have access to the academic updates and assignments uploaded regularly.

Parental concerns are being kept in mind where Kalorex is making an effort to address their psychological and emotional needs by offering regular online counselling sessions through qualified faculty members. 

Through the Kalorex Facebook and Instagram pages, weekly live K Talks are being organized on a variety of informative topics which address the spiritual, emotional and educational needs for followers. These talks are interactive in nature and keep the community connected through social media. The individual schools are also hosting similar talks and apart from guest speakers, the alumni of the schools are also coming forward to share their knowledge and experience with the school community.

Kalorex team members are regularly attending informative Webinars on National and International levels, which are addressing the various measures and initiatives that the worldwide educational community is taking in dealing with the crisis. Senior Kalorexians are also being invited on these forums as panelists to share their views and ideas. Through these sessions it is heartening to learn that the challenges faced are common and similar for all. 

To cater to the needs for entertainment, Kalorex has been inviting artists to perform live on the Group’s Facebook Page. These highly entertaining sessions are enjoyed by thousands of viewers and has become one of the major attractions every week. Known and not so known artists are eager to do their bit and are enthusiastically regaling the followers in this unique way.

This is a time for everyone to get together to share their experience and learn from each other’s successes and failures and work towards this new normal way of life.