The COVID pandemic has shed light on numerous issues affecting access to education. Currently, the entire world is in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most businesses have adopted the work from home policy. The pandemic has also impacted the education sector worldwide. More than 91% of the world’s students are out of school due to school closure. As of March 12, more than 370 million children and youth are not attending school because of temporary school closures as mandated by the government.
The education sector faces unprecedented challenges; it needs to adapt and find solutions to keep children motivated and on their route to learning. Learners ranging from school going children to postgraduate students face its consequences. The Government of India has also closed all educational institutions as a part of the nationwide lockdown.
The Government of India had to find an immediate solution because the closure of schools and colleges caused far-reaching economic and social consequences. Therefore, the government has come up with e-learning programmes. In this situation, many ed-tech firms have leveraged the problem by offering free online classes and attractive offers on e-learning modules. E-learning comes as an exciting and interactive alternative as compared to classroom teaching.
Online education has become the new normal for students during the lockdown in India. Now, schools and colleges are relying on online modes of teaching to maintain the continuity of education. So, to continue this, schools are launching apps and conducting online classes over Microsoft Team Meeting or Zoom and sending interactive worksheets and videos for learning.
Students of the CBSE Board, ICSE Board and the State Boards opted for an online mode of education. But now, most boards decided to reopen the school for the coming academic session. Nowadays, textbooks, previous years’ papers, sample papers and other study materials can be accessed online. For example, Tamil Nadu students can download Samacheer Kalvi books from the official website.
The Loss of Institutional Support
During the pandemic, almost all schools shifted to the online mode of education. Some schools even cancelled and postponed their final examinations, including entrance exams. After introducing online education, students are adapted to using gadgets and online learning tools. There was a time when phones were not allowed inside the school campus, but now online classes are primarily dependent on mobile phones. It was challenging for students to operate websites and appear for examinations online. Now, students are used to screen-life, due to which they are suffering from various health issues like anxiety, stress and depression.
Due to online study, students are not exposed to a school-like environment and lack physical activity. School activities like PTM’s and school functions are compensated by online webinars and video meetings, which decline students’ interests. However, exciting ways are being generated to maintain the importance of co-curricular activities and friendship. This is the time to regain the leaking hope in our students.
Even the assignments and homework are uploaded on the online platform supported by the school. Students can download the assignments from the websites, and once they solve them, they need to upload them. Students can also get online study materials such as sample papers and syllabi from their official website.
Impact on the Indian Education System
- The exam cycle has got disturbed due to the lockdown. Some universities might have faced a slowdown in students’ internships and placements.
- Due to closure, teaching, assessment methodologies of schools, and learning are affected. Counselling of students’ operations is also affected. Hiring plans for several institutions are paused, which will affect quality and excellence.
- Technology has played an essential role in the lockdown period, especially for studying and working from home. Many private schools in India have adopted online teaching methods. But, for some private schools and government schools, online teaching methods may not be possible. As a result, students will miss learning opportunities.
- Employment is another primary concern in the lockdown scenario. Students who have completed their graduation fear the withdrawal of job offers from corporate companies due to the pandemic.
- Most entrance examinations are postponed, including engineering, medical, law examinations etc. As a result, faculties and employees may face salary cuts and bonuses and delayed increments.
Students are dependent on online resources while preparing for their exams. Some resources available on the internet are textbooks such as Samacheer Kalvi 8th books, model papers, etc.
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