Prometheus School enables online sessions to aid the PM’s relief fund.

Noida: Amid the current challenges of social distancing and a country-wide lockdown, Prometheus School, an IB candidate school in Noida, has been amongst the first in the nation to initiate the directed online learning programs for students ever since schools have been closed. To aid learning from home and to keep children engaged in a meaningful way, the school is introducing online classroom sessions for children of grade 5, 6 and 7 who do not have access to directed online classroom sessions, as part of an effort to give back to the nation.

While several global platforms have made online learning courses available for free, owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prometheus School has a specific purpose in allocating a fee to their online courses. The fees will be directed towards the ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES FUND), or if payments are made towards Prometheus School, the equivalent amount will be donated by their technology partner QA InfoTech Software Services to the ‘PM CARES FUND’ to help battle against coronavirus in India.

Additionally, although other free digital programs offer the flexibility of anywhere and anytime learning, Prometheus School’s online classroom sessions will offer a structured approach with personalized tutor guidance that is essential for effective learning, especially in situations where school goers cannot access their school premises.

These online sessions will help address the needs of families that are hard-pressed for time and cannot dedicate the effort required to keep their children engaged in meaningful learning experiences. The learning modules will cover a range of subjects across grade 5 to 7 and students from any board or school can apply for them.

Grade 5 will follow an enquiry-based learning program, wherein students explore a unit’s central idea and learn specific elements of core subjects including Language, Science, Social Science, Mathematics, etc. Students will be prompted to formulate questions, research and analyse information and share their findings on concepts that connect with real-life situations. The learning module will promote a deeper conceptual understanding, skills of problem-solving and evidence-based reasoning, and self-direction for independent learning.

Grades 6 and 7 will follow a project-based learning program, which will cover English and Mathematics as the core subjects and span 20 hours per subject. Students can choose projects related to these subjects, which will help them learn while understanding the content’s real-life application through objective assessment. This learning module will help students develop 21st century skills like research, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Registrations for the online classes are open, with 20 seats available per class, and will work on a ‘first-come-first-serve’ basis for kids in the NCR region only. The sessions will commence from April 7th 2020. The fee for grade 5 is INR 9,999 per student, which is for one complete ‘unit of inquiry’ module over 20 sessions. And the fees for grade 6 and 7 is INR 9,999 per student per subject, each for a 20-session package; a total of 19,998 for both subjects over 40 sessions. Furthermore, QA InfoTech will offer two introductory sessions for the registered students and their parents on ‘web accessibility guidelines’ and ‘cyber security awareness’, for a nominal fee of INR 499, in total. The sessions will be a great start for students and parents to hone their digital skills.

Applicants will receive an email to make the payment only if they are selected. They may then choose whether to make the payment to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the total amount and share the receipt with us or pay Prometheus School directly, after which the school will contribute the amount to the ‘PM CARES Fund’.

Prometheus School wants to create an opportunity for online learning, especially for students that are in need of it. The School’s chairman, Mr. Mukesh Sharma said, “Currently, the crisis that has taken over the world has also become a major challenge for the state of education. So, while we look towards online classes to alleviate the damage, I’d also like to channel Prometheus School’s efforts to tackle the state of emergency in our nation. The Prime Minister’s fund is a viable route to putting us back on the path to functionality.”

Prometheus School was established to nurture the next generation of global leaders. Through its ideal of ‘learning RE imagined’, it focuses on reinventing the learning approach and encouraging a deeper and more holistic relationship with education. The school, which is sprawled across a 7.5-acre campus in Jaypee Greens Wish Town, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India, looks forward to enabling the continuation of learning while giving back to the nation in these unprecedented times of the coronavirus crisis.