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| COVID-19, Side Effects on Students learning | | |
Vijay Kashkari
COVID-19 has affected the lives of people worldwide and transformed their systematic activities. Countries have turned to a standstill.
The jolt of coronavirus is analysed by the statistical interpretation of how many were affected, how many cures, or how many were killed by the disease. Need to be analysed. But, we should also make a judgment of the side effects on the recession and learning of the pupils.
That impinges on the bankruptcy and teaching is now being thought about. The Indian state has come up with the economic package for its population. The attention at the MHRD on the impact of coronavirus on the education of lakhs of the students seems to be paid attention lately. Corna virus has affected 32.7 Crore, Indian students, because of the lockdown. The figure comprises 15.81 crore female and 16. 26 crore male students, as per the UNESCO, details posted on its website. As per All India Survey of higher education (2015-16), there were 799 Universities, 39071 Colleges and 11923 stand-alone Institutions (stand-alone institutions are primarily meant for providing diploma programs.). Corresponding to an estimate, 3.74 crore students were enrolled in higher education during 2018-19. According to the figures of Economic Times, India has a target to reach 4.45 Crore of people, between the age of 5 to 24, for primary to higher education.
Pandemic has disrupted the entire education sector. The Schools, Colleges and Academies are locked. Students are feeling uncertain about their education, not knowing when their schools and colleges will reopen. All India Entrance tests like JEE, NEET, CAT, MAT, CUCET, BITSTAT, AILET and competitive tests of several universities were post-phoned and next academic session proposed to be started in September. They cut board examinations taken during this period short and now is supposed to be held in July. School examinations were in progress had to be stopped. They put nursery admissions on hold. There is still the uncertainty of holding the tests and opening of the schools, though a few tests dates have been announced. Schools and colleges have declared summer holidays early.
However, it has been given to understand HRD Ministry, UGC, AICTE etc are working to minimise the impact to a certain extent. If they prolong the situation, this may threaten ‘right to education’.
To foreshadow the jolt of a pandemic on study areas, students were asked to remain in touch with their books, by their institutions. Several measures have been taken by schools, colleges and universities. It has provided students with study material, maintaining access to online courses. Many IIM’s, IIT’s, MBA colleges and even schools’ in India have made online classes compulsory during the testing times.
During the last few years, the Central Government has been putting emphasis on digital India. The authority has been successful to a large extent. The Universities and competitive agencies have taken admission application forms and conducting assessment tests online for higher education.
In digital India, the policy of wire education is the best but challenging for the classes of a primary to secondary education.
This technique has benefits but glitches as well. Smaller universities may struggle under the weight of the demand. IT departments must be adequately knowledgeable to ensure to make the programs according to the needs of the students. Who ensures the scheme reaches every student?
Online lessons may help educational institutions across India beat the Covid-19 lockdown and catch up with the academic schedule. But this demands to be seen in the larger perspective if it caters to the demands of a hundred percent students.
Isn’t this arrangement, only beneficial to students living in cosmopolitan places or places with developed economy or centres with emerging economies? A few reports show that wire teaching is a non-starter for most students and institutions in India.
Only 12.5 percent of homes of Indian students have internet access. The Indian Government’s National Broadband Mission has fixed a target of availability of broadband services to all the villages by 2022. This needs to ponder; how many students can afford to possess smartphones. This system may be beneficial to the students of universities and professional institutions.
What about the beginners in schools or those in primary, middle, secondary or higher secondary education? What about thousands of single teacher schools in villages?
MHRD is announcing several measures for school children like twelve DTH (Direct to Home) channels for the students of all ages. A Hundred accredited institutions are starting new online courses under PM eVidya Programme. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 17 May 2020 launched PM eVidya programme. PM eVidya Programme is a programme for multimode access to digital/ online education.
With this scheme, students and teachers will get multimode access to digital education.
There are other problems as well. What will happen to the students of UT Jammu & Kashmir where Internet speed is reduced? In J & K, because of restricted connection to the Internet, schools could not offer online classes. In case of a speed limit is increased and 4G network restored; what about disadvantaged students who don’t have a connection to digital classes? Not hesitant to say, if we find a few governments or aided private schools having a working computer and Wi-Fi network with proper bandwidth, there will be no teacher to operate.
Though Universities of Jammu and Kashmir were preparing e-content and tutorial for students through a dedicated channel on Dish TV. This may solve the problem of students undergoing higher education, but the concern must be of primary to secondary students.
We can't ignore that at this time of crisis students need effective educational practice for the capacity-building of adolescent minds. Central Government and UT need to take some measures to ensure the overall progress in the country.
When will schools, colleges and universities reopen, difficult to predict so planners of education should devise some methods, other than digital platforms? The school administrators should know West Africa, wherein the Ebola epidemic of 2014, the teaching institutions were closed for six to nine months. When the schools were opened, the dropouts were of an enormous number, from the poorest families. The education planners should open the student-teacher communication at many levels. The teacher should make study materials available by government agencies. Even NGOs can help in this task.
There is every apprehension in the coming days, students will have a fundamental change in schooling. So, the educationists should have clarity on the effectiveness of an unfamiliar studying.
How to explain the student of 6 to 9 ages, why the school was closed? Teachers are apprehensive of scare among this growing group when schools are opened.
There are many other side effects of COVID-19, that may change the system of education.
The government should ponder about all the pros and cons of the pandemic on education and well-being of school-going children.
Indian Constitution guarantees, “Right to Equality”. The equity lies in making sure every student has the support they need to be successful and continue receiving education. |
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