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Remote teaching during Covid: FUTA flags loss of interpersonal aspects 

20 Jan 2021

By Hiranyada Dewasiri   As Sri Lanka’s higher education system has resorted to emergency remote teaching to continue its functions amidst Covid-19-induced restrictions, the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) raised concerns over the loss of the important aspect of interpersonal relationships, which is crucial to education. Speaking to The Morning, FUTA President Prof. Shyama Banneheka said that in addition to the technological challenges faced by university students and staff in carrying out lectures and meetings online, interpersonal interactions that are essential to the university academic and administrative decision-making processes are not possible through the virtual system. “Interpersonal relationships within the classroom are especially crucial to fields such as literature and the arts. The current remote learning system does not build these relationships.” Prof. Banneheka also said that the lack of physical meetings has an impact on the institutional structure and decision-making of universities, which are conducted through meetings of each university’s faculty boards, senates, and university councils. “Though faculty board, senate, and council meetings are conducted through Zoom facilities, it is not the same as a physical meeting. In-person meetings involve discussions amongst participants that cannot be conducted through Zoom,” he stressed. Fields such as medicine, science, and aesthetics also have laboratory activities and practical elements in their curricula which cannot be conducted through virtual means. In this regard, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and health authorities have granted permission for the University of Peradeniya to commence non-virtual classes and laboratory activities for students in their final years from the first week of February, following a two-week quarantine period. Speaking to The Morning, UGC Chairman senior Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said that universities that made special requests to recommence their academic activities have been granted permission to do so while following health guidelines. “Some universities have requested to start classes, and we have given permission for the classes to be commenced under the safety guidelines provided by the health authorities.” Commenting on the status of virtual education, Prof. Amaratunge said that the online system is proving to be successful amidst the technological challenges faced by students and the staff alike. “University activities are going on successfully amidst problems. I too face technological challenges sometimes, but we are facing them and going forward.” Currently, online education is practised amidst difficulties faced by students and the staff alike due to the lack of access to internet facilities and technological equipment. The country’s internet service providers as well as its education system have responded with free or economical internet facilities to use software such as Zoom. Prof. Banneheka elaborated on the current virtual education practice, claiming that the current practice is not online education, but what is called emergency remote teaching. “Online education is something that needs to be planned from the beginning and should be designed specifically for a virtual medium. What we have now is a system of virtually delivering material that was designed to be delivered in-person. This is called emergency remote teaching.” The FUTA believes that universities should revert to the “old normal” at a point in time when the health situation of the country permits such.


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