Online classes and typed assignments affect students’ handwriting skills

Chennai

“When I asked my daughter to note down the provision list for the month, I was shocked to see her vague handwriting,” said K Vijayalakshmi, a homemaker from Pammal. According to her, her daughter, a Class 6 student, used to write well before the lockdown.

Even otherwise, writing in Tamil is generally considered tough by students, pointed out S Dhandapani, secretary, Tamizhaga Tamiz Aasiriar Sangam. Now after classes moved completely online, students have forgotten “Sirappu Lagaram”, (special characters) due to lack of handwritten homework, he said.

“We can’t blame the students. Only the return to physical classes would be able to improve their handwriting skills,” added Dhandapani, noting that the parents of many government school students were illiterate and thus would not be able to teach or monitor their children.

PK Ilamaran, a government school teacher and the president of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association expressed serious concern over the diminishing quality of students’ handwriting.

“Many teachers across the State are complaining that most of the elementary level students have even forgotten the letters in both Tamil and English. The government should direct the teachers to go to the children’s doorsteps at least once in a week to give handwriting homework,” he suggested.

If the lockdown is extended for some more time, there should be separate period to improve handwriting when the schools reopen, he added.

KR Nandhakumar, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Private Nursery, Primary, Matriculation, Higher Secondary and CBSE Schools’ Association said teachers were giving handwriting assignments even during online classes. But it has not helped much, he said.

“Usually, each student will use about 10 notebooks according to the subjects. However, after the closure of schools and shift to virtual classes, they hardly use one or two,” he said.

S Arumainathan, president, Tamil Nadu Parents-Teachers Welfare Association, said the online teaching method has to be changed. “Teachers should make at least 60 per cent of online classes as writing sessions. The government school students who do not have online classes should be given handwriting assignments over the phone,” he said.

Agreeing that writing skills have taken a big dip in these months, PB Prince Gajendra Babu, secretary, State Platform for Common School System–Tamil Nadu, explained that writing played an important role in the learning process for students. Hence, teachers should ensure separate sessions where the students wrote down the notes, he added.