The Pandemic and The Education System

The Pandemic and The Education System

(By Suhana Ahmed ) 

Image By:- Darshika Singh

The world has prompted and cherished education for the longest of times, and we all know how important being educated and knowledgeable is. It is also considered to be one of the basic amenities and a right to everyone. As time went by, more people started getting formal education at institutions and were learning vast things.

Everything changed when the world was hit by the pandemic not long ago. This time, it was coronavirus. It isn't the first time the world has been a victim of a pandemic, and we know that it changes things and lifestyle, be it temporarily. The attack by COVID-19 was no different. Things were shut down, roads were emptied for long times, social gatherings have been restricted, social distancing is practiced; and schools and colleges were shut down.

There have been people who have always opted for online courses, or better open universities, but it was a choice. This time, nobody seemed to have one. The students who were going to institutions had to be stopped.

The entire scenario of education changed and our system was not ready for it. Online classes started commencing and students seemed to start adjusting to it. But it wasn't bright for everyone. 

We know that our country suffers from poverty and not everyone is able to facilitate themselves with the internet and there are many places where there isn't a proper internet connection. Not to forget that the provision of free meals had to be retreated resulting in many kids not getting mid-day meals, for some of whom it was the only path to food.

So, there is the problem of the ones who do not have access to the internet and the online lectures, but the problem doesn't end there. Even the ones who have access have trouble getting along with this, partially because they are not used to it.

Social interaction reduced, time limits, and digital screens became barriers. In a sense, intimacy was lost and there wasn't enough connection between the teacher and the students due to that, sometimes unstable networks became the reason.

The professional fields surrounding education were equally hampered, especially the private institutions that cannot continue with their work. The jobs are at stakes and the people are getting stressed and less focused. Not to forget that staring at a digital screen for long durations levies negative impacts on one's eyesight and health.

Most of the problems arose because we were not ready for it, we were not ready for a pandemic, or for students to learn through digital media or technology. We were not ready to sit at home and give education and work a chance. We did not know how to deal with it. Online education is not all had if given a chance and is a choice. Maybe, this pandemic helped us realize that we can study anywhere, even sitting at home if we tried.

Do we really need physical schools and colleges?

Like everything else, education institutions are too vulnerable to situations like a pandemic, riots, natural calamities, etc. There are a few things where we don’t have any other options but to go on the ground and work like farming, defense, research, construction work, etc. The question is, can we totally remove the concept of physical schooling or not. 

 If we can somehow eliminate it, it can eliminate all the costs associated with it like buses, dresses, buildings, etc. Besides, our environment will be saved by less use of buses, papers, etc. Also, physically a single teacher can only reach a limited number of students but if we go online it can be unlimited. But we can’t easily shift into online education unless we have a strong alternative to the same.

Alternative to physical schools

There are a lot of things that online studies can do but physical schools can’t. Studying on the internet can open up the world for you. You have access to the whole internet. A teacher can have limitations in terms of remembering but the internet can’t. But do we actually have internet access across the country? The answer is “NO”. A big NO. There are many parts of India where we even don’t have proper calling facilities. Internet availability here also depends on weather conditions in a particular area. We can’t be dependent upon the weather conditions to study. Even if we made it available throughout the country, a large mass can be taught online but it is difficult to have interactive sessions in that.

 We are not familiar with the internet the way we should be to have online schooling. Most parents these days are not familiar with the basics of the internet, how can we expect them to guide their children? Besides small children can’t be made to study online. 

 Online schooling can give you knowledge but there won’t be any ability to apply the same in actual unless we do it physically. Children can’t become creative without sharing ideas with the fellows.

Pandemic: An eye-opener

Though we cannot replace the physical schools and universities with online schooling, online schooling can be a second option for us to have. The pandemic has somewhere made us realize that we need to have a second option. We need to end our full dependency on a single mode of education.

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.