Leveraging Virtual Parents Teachers Meeting | Punjab With schools being closed for over 6 months due to the pandemic, there has been a huge impact on children and their learning. While there has always been a need to improve parent engagement in student learning, it has become even more important in the current covid-19 situation for parents to be able to support their children's learning. There are a lot of parents who are not aware of different initiatives run by the State and the efforts being put by the teachers and schools. Most importantly, their role in this humongous task of teaching their children is also getting overlooked. To ensure this, the Education Department of Punjab launched Virtual PTM, an initiative for interacting with parents of government school children. The objective of this initiative was to inform, appreciate and listen to the parents. The six-day program saw a participation of over 16000 government schools. The schools also received constant support from the panchayat, SMC Members and religious institutions to reach out to as many students possible. "The teachers regularly call us and inform us of the progress of my child. They also ask if we are facing any challenges, and help us find ways to make sure we are able to help our children better" said Mr. Nirmal Singh, parent of a class 8th students from GHS Shafipur, Amritsar. Maape Adhyapak Milni Hafta also gave the teachers and the department the opportunity to appreciate the parents and the community for their support to the school, especially during the lockdown. Mrs Anu Pathania, Principal of GHS Shafipur in Amritsar expressed how as a result of PTM, parents of students in other schools have been reaching out to them and asking for support. Therefore, the Virtual PTM has paved the way for strengthening ties between the community and the school and leveraged the opportunity to bring in the education system and parents to work together as one unit to ensure the well being of the children. courses. |