A hybrid model of school education was expected to deal with post-pandemic issues, after umpteen months of online classes could not meet the expectations.

The yahaan online-yahaan-offline (or Yo-Yo) method had enough chutzpah to cater to the best of both worlds.

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Teachers of a school wanted to take kids to a lake near Delhi so that they could see first-hand how fast motorboats moved. There was a schedule chalked up, but owing to the pandemic, it had to be put off till 2022. The proposal was raked up again by teachers last January.

By this time the hybrid model had gathered traction, and the teachers were told that they had to take classes physically and online together. The “trip” had to be confined to classrooms because half the class strength was waiting in their respective homes for the lesson to become virtual.

The teachers had to show a video high lighting motorboat design, its capacities, movements on the lake, etc. The mandate of the government in this duopoly has been that of equal distribution of resources to all concerned.

Children coming to the school are exposed to as much screen time as they must have been while attending online. Let us consider schools having 30-40 students in each section.

And post reopening, there is a robust footfall. While the teacher pays attention to online kids, the ones in “real” attendance feel free and move around in the class. If the teacher turns her eyes to “offline” children, the ones at home “leave” the class on their laptops and shift to YouTube.

In a pandemic-ravaged world, educationists have hailed the hybrid model as the future of education. The combination of face-to-face and digital would allow parents worried about the safety of kids to keep kids at home while allowing other children to return to the classroom.

Being heard remains a big concern for teachers. If the primary teacher goes near the children on the last bench, while teaching, their online classmates are unable to hear.

If she locates herself near the laptop in class, children at the back often complain. Many a time, the teacher has to help a child hold the crayon properly and at times complete the worksheet.

Amongst her sundry duties, she has to take children to the washroom while others either do their classwork or wait for the ongoing lesson to resume.

Students must understand that they have to wait for their turn even if they have questions. This realisation means less pandemonium and time losses while schooling.

Frustration with the Yo-Yo method is, therefore, discernible and needs circumspection. The method seems to suit higher classes more than middle or primary schools.