Skip to main content

Education Emergency — Why Schools Should Open Its Doors

One sector which is silently hit by the Covid-19 pandemic the most is the education. As a precautionary measure, schools were the first to be shut even before a formal announcement of lockdown. After all, education doesn't come under the umbrella of essential services. 

According to the data from UNICEF, schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year, and more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures. 

In India, only one in four children have access to digital devices and internet connectivity. There is a large rural-urban and gender divide which is why not everyone is able to benefit the digital revolution. Such vulnerable children unable to access remote learning might never be able to get back to learning even after the pandemic fades away, and could be easily exploited as child labor. 

Shifting Classes Online 

To those who can access it, technology has come as a rescue in the time of need with new and existing Ed-tech startups. Many of such startups grew exponentially during the Covid-19 lockdowns. And, few of them become unicorn sponsoring Indian Cricket team. However, there are some serious drawbacks of online education. Some of them are: 

Lack of interaction 

In remote learning, the natural interaction between teacher and students, as it happens in traditional classroom, is very limited. 

No room for social development 

Schools serve as an agency for socialization. Most of the schoolchildren rely on schools to interact with their peers and teachers. 

Lacks discipline 

Most children attending online class just sit in front of the device without paying attention to the teacher.

Chaos 

Even a small technical glitch or unwanted noises coming from microphones can disturb the class. At times, managing children online becomes very harassing for the teachers. 

No curiosity among learners 

As the interaction is limited, a teacher has very little scope of making the lesson more interesting by arousing curiosity. 

Learning is no longer a fun 

It is seen that in online classes, children get bored and distracted more easily. 

There are some merits in that too, such as catching up on missed classes or learning difficult concepts through animated videos. But overall, online class is no match to the teaching-learning that happens in a traditional classroom in which children's cognitive, affective, psychomotor and social skills are developed, honed and crafted preparing them holistically for their future.

The Future 

One thing is clear, education will never be the same as it was during pre-covid times. Ed-tech has made deep roots in the minds of children and parents just like coaching institutes did earlier. Classes certainly won't be exclusive online forever. But it might also not be exclusive offline as it used to be. The advocates of online learning (now a big lobby) suggests it as a revolutionary and modern way to teach and learn. Most educators now believe that education would be the mix of both online and classroom medium in the future. 

New Education Policy (NEP), although advocates for the use and integration of technology in education, it has only a complementary role, not a supplementary. That is, It cannot replace the teacher but only be effective if it is used by the teacher.

Education might not be an essential service but it's definitely an essential part of human development. It is also true that learning can happen anywhere but we need formal schooling to accelerate the process of learning and to make it in a systematic way. Therefore, government must focus on getting formal education back on the track by opening schools.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Indian Society And The Struggle Of Our Sports Fraternity

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, fails to show its dominance in sports. In fact, India's performance remains terrible except in few games. So, what's holding India back when it comes to competing in world sporting events like the Olympics? First, it's the conservative Indian mindset of the Indian society. You might be aware of the saying in India “ Padhoge likhoge banoge Nawab, kheloge kudoge banoge kharab ” which translates to “You can be a king if you study, can be spoilt if you play games.” Social life of a person who took the plunge of making a career in sports in India can be challenging and demotivating. An Indian parents or teachers, being part of the society, don't consider sports as a career. They have the biggest influence in a child's future ambitions. They may scold the child that “playing a sport will get you nowhere in life, but to make a life you need to be good in academics”. In other words, young Indians are discouraged from playing s...

Forgiveness - Your Way Towards Peace

Forgiveness is a divine power, something that ordinary humans are not entitled to have. And, those who have this quality are more than 'a human'. One, who is free from materialistic desire and, most importantly, the ego, is blessed with such divine power. Whether it is of physical or mental strength, weak cannot forgive others. Forgiveness is always an attribute of strong people. It is a trait of a mature person having deep inner control over his mind. This strength cannot be bought, it has to be earned. But, how would you earn that? I think spirituality may be the answer. There are multiple benefits of forgiveness. It directly influences our thinking process. It sets you free from the negativity building around and boosts positive personality. It saves energy which can be redirected to do productive things. It is also the key to longevity and good health. But, how will you forgive someone who is not even sorry for their action? How will you respond to evil with kindn...

Why India Couldn't Compete The Developed World At Olympics?

India has, over the years, struggled to find medal-winning athletes for the Olympic Games. Let's take a look at the past performances of our players and team.  As an independent country, India won the first gold medal in 1948 in field hockey defeating Great Britain in the final. In the subsequent years, the expectation of medal was from our hockey team alone. After winning gold in 1980, the hockey team went downhill. Several times after 1980, Indian contingents have to come back empty-handed with a few exceptions in between. We have been helplessly standing close to the bottom in the league of third world countries.  India saw a watershed performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Abhinav Bindra stunned everyone and became the first Indian to bag an individual Olympic gold along with wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh winning bronze medal. Only four years later, a large 83-member contingent from India took part in the London Olympics, while setting a new bench...

Nuclear Friction - Are We Moving Towards Nuclear Doomsday?

It was a moment of joy for the North Koreans when they heard the news that North Korea has successfully tested H-bomb on January 6th and thus “guaranteed the eternal future of the nation”. But it was also a shocking and despairing moment for others. Followed by the claim, came the condemnation from most other countries of the world including US, Japan, South Korea, and even China (supposed friend of N. Korea). But it was not unexpected that the North Koreans will do a further nuke test after the three previous ones in 2006, 2009 and 2013. But nobody on this earth, or even in space, thought that they would be able to do an H-bomb test. It was a second nuclear test only in four years during the rule of Kim Jong Un, the young head of the mafia family that controls North Korea is a sobering reminder of the progress that three generations of Kims have made in expanding their nuclear capability—despite outside efforts to curb it. Few think that North Korea has yet managed t...

My Tribute To The Missile Man Of India

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was his name, like his 'big name' he leaves behind a very big legacy which cannot be forgotten. He was an example for the underprivileged children that just by will-Power and determination you can reach the top post. The thing matter is "your dream" and how much you work to achieve your dream. If you have a legitimate dream and at night you are not enjoying a sound sleep because you want to achieve that dream as soon as possible, then nothing can stop you from achieving your dream. In his words: "Dream is not that you see in the sleep, but it is something that does not allow you to sleep."  There was nothing negative about him. Everything he said or done had a positive impact to such extent that he was elected as 11th President of India unusually by the BJP and Congress together. The awards he got from Government of India includes —  Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990, Bharat Ratna in 1997 and Veer Sa...

The Magical Castle - Sank Of SATAN-3O1

According to the weather forecast experts, it was an ideal weather for commencing a journey. Therefore, the ship SATAN-3O1 commenced its journey to Guyana. It was containing a large number of gold coins which was to be transported via sea route. During the start of this journey, everything was normal. However, somewhere in the mid sea, the weather became extreme. Suddenly, there were high tides, an unstopping rain and a violent storm. The captain and his co-workers fought the storm bravely but couldn't control the ship, and at last, the ship along with all the gold coins sank as the result of extreme weather. And, all the humans in the SATAN-3O1 became dinner of killer Sharks. The Magical Castle In the sea, the sank SATAN-3O1 has now a major attraction for the sea creatures. It has fallen into Octo uncle's territory. Octo was a wise octopus. He decided to build a castle, with the help of crab and sea ants, around it to protect them against theft. The ugly Octo has now beco...

MY OPEN LETTER TO RAHUL GANDHI

Dear Mr Rahul Gandhi, First, welcome back from your two months of secret absence. God knows where you have gone to?  Unlike other politicians, your life is full of thrills. Perhaps you have gone for Tapasya and returned with some powers gained by it as told in Hindu mythology. You were unable to lead the 150 years old party but now it seems you can. Hopefully, you will use your powers for the mankind with skill and don't make it poison as your mom told. You speak well especially Hindi language which when your mom speaks appears that she is forced to make speech in Hindi. You can communicate with people better than her. Now you also learnt how to make jibes, it's a good sign of your becoming a contemporary politician because your opponent is the master in these things in front of whom you are still a beginner. Sir, please understand politics is not a part-time profession. You are a dynast so we know you but if you were a normal part-time politician, People and ...