Emergency Remote Teaching: The Emerging Roles and Expanding Responsibilities of the Bangladeshi School Teachers at Primary Level During COVID-stricken Period

The goal of this article is to look into the current state of "emergency remote teaching" and the effects of Covid-19 on Bangladesh's primary education system. Bangladeshi School teachers started online classes few months after the compulsory closure of all educational institutions. This study sheds light on the changing roles of teachers during the pandemic situation, challenges of adaptation of online classes in both the rural and city areas, and the expanded responsibilities of the primary school teachers in terms of teachers’ experiences. Fifteen potential primary school teachers were interviewed over the telephone, and 50 primary and secondary school teachers from 45 different schools in Bangladesh were surveyed over Google forms. The quantitative data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel and summary of Google form, and the thematic analysis approach had been kept for qualitative one. The findings revealed that primary education level teachers have already started online classes despite not having any formal training or experience. The good news is that the teachers feel an urge to develop their knowledge by taking help from their own schools’ ICT teachers. The findings also revealed that most teachers are experiencing expanded responsibilities during the ‘new normal life,’ such as providing financial, moral, and psychological support to the students, maintaining a good relationship with guardians, and making them aware of the importance of online education. Even though few students have the facilities of digital resources and a friendly environment at home, they could not keep themselves engaged in the class. It is proved as one of the significant barriers of primary education level teachers. Students from rural areas and underprivileged urban areas are seen dropping out of school or engaging in child labor. Acknowledging the results, the study recommended some suggestions that might aid policymakers in eliminating the difficulties of remodeling the roles and responsibilities of the Bangladeshi school teachers at the primary level during the COVID-stricken period. Keywords:Primary education, emergency remote teaching, online class, pandemic, Teachers’ response, challenges, internet. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-21-07 Publication date:July 31st 202