Sacrifices Parents Have To Make For Their Children’s Distance Education

01 September 2020 Education

Parents are returning to school, while mothers leave their jobs to keep up with their children… This is how learning from home forces parents to watch their children, especially children studying in kindergarten and elementary schools, These children will urgently need the intervention of their parents during home classes, and after as well in order to help them understand the points they did not understand, and to intervene to solve technical problems that are above their awareness, reports Al-Rai daily.

Following its launch in September and October in both the private and public sectors, education beyond the walls of the schools may lead to many problems and obstacles for the parents. Classrooms will be transformed into virtual classes, and lessons will be broadcasted through electronic educational platforms. This will force parents to stay with their children throughout the duration of the classes in order to keep up with them and help them on the use of electronic devices and to access educational programs and platforms.

In short, this is creating an imbalance in the daily home system and life in general

During separate conversations with the daily, a number of parents presented the challenges that await them, stressing that their children will be forced to adapt to the distance learning system, which is being applied in Kuwait’s schools for the first time.

Initially, Meshal Al-Farhan said he considered the implementation of distance learning as a need and a means to resume studies.

He affirmed that it will push families to fight many battles to make their children accept and adapt to the new educational system, because learning is often linked to the school among students while the home is associated with comfort and play.

Al-Farhan said he believes it is necessary to allocate a certain space in the home for learning so that the children connect this place with study, and when they leave this space, they are considered outside the educational zone and can practice all their home activities like they are used to before.

Regarding the financial burdens, one of the parents, Muhammad Abdullah, explained that the e-learning system requires the provision of electronic devices for the successful functioning of the process. This will cost parents a lot of money, especially when there is more than one child in the house. This calls for the purchase of electronic devices depending on the number of children so that all of them can follow their lessons. The traditional education used to cost them only bags, notebooks and pens, which did not pose great economic burdens on the people.

Meanwhile, Khawla Al-Tarkit stated that both she and her husband work, and she does not finish her work until 3:00pm. Her job was not regarded as an obstacle to her children’s education in the past, as she used to return home at the same time her children returned from school. However, the situation now will be completely different, because education will happen at home and she thus will have to stay with the children at home as their age does not allow them to fully depend on themselves. This will force her to quit her job, like many other mothers.

In this regard, Fatima Al-Ali said she is a mother of four children and they are in different school stages.

She indicated that she would be in terrible confusion when starting lessons, saying, “I must follow the lessons with all my children but I will not be able to, because the lessons may coincide with each other. I will have to be next to only one of them, because moving between them will make me scattered and information may be mixed in my mind. I would not know how to act or the most appropriate way to follow up with them all”.

Regarding the development of children’s performance, Umm Bader said, “There will be no meeting for parents similar to how all schools used to do every semester, which will keep parents in the dark about their children’s academic level. They will not be able to communicate with teachers to inquire about their child’s ability to keep up with lessons and understand the information he receives.

Schools should organize a virtual meeting between teachers and parents so that the parents are aware of what is going on, and they can follow up on their children’s performance in order to help them in their development, if necessary, in the event that their academic level deteriorates.”

One of the mothers revealed that she lives in a small apartment where each of her three children cannot study in separate rooms.

She explained that all of her children will be attending lessons in one room which will distract them and rob them of the opportunity to participate or inquire about information in the virtual class. As soon as it is open, the voices of their siblings and everyone around them will be heard, which will definitely cause their academic level to decline eventually.

In addition, Khaled Baroun explained that his wife works and they have two children in the primary stage. If they are left alone at home, they will not be able to use the electronic devices on their own to access the educational platforms designated for study. There must be someone to take over this responsibility to supervise them. This will force his wife to give up her job and assume the job of supervisor, teacher and the person responsible for solving any technical malfunctions related to the Internet or electronic devices.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that distance education will create a number of variables for parents, most notably the following:

Change the daily routine
Carry additional financial obligations
Force one of the parents to give up their job to stay with the children
Follow up the lessons with the children to answer any questions they may ask later if they do not understand certain points.

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