Education in covid times; The learning deficit looms!

Online education cannot be a replacement for school classes.

By Dr N. Prabhudev

We are facing a Covid- 19 education crisis. Ten-fold increase in just 10 days in Covid-19 cases adds new challenges. The wail of ambulance sirens is getting a little more frequent. Third wave shows a major surge in hospital admissions in younger age groups.

As the Omicron and Delta variants spread rapidly, schools are facing a fresh round of questions about how to respond. Karnataka has announced the closure of schools and Schools are closed in 15 states across India. Schools will have to conduct online classes till further orders.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccination drive for 15 to18-year-olds children has begun. Children of this age group are eligible to get only Covaxin, the only one cleared for emergency use for children.

The primary momentum which pushes young ones towards education is a passion for learning and a curiosity to discover the world. In India students drop out due to their financial conditions. The education quality available to a child gets decided by the family’s ability to spend, creating a vast difference between the education received by the rich and poor.

It is evident that the absence of structured learning opportunities has caused severe academic regression, young children have forgotten habits of learning; basic reading and numeracy skills have been affected, and we are seeing a huge dropout as a result. Online classes had not been very effective.

The closure of schools has now started taking a toll on children’s mental and physical health. Learning loss has become a global phenomenon and steps to bridge the learning gap are of utmost importance. It is crucial to break the monotony. As educators, our focus must also be on empowering parents to facilitate children’s learning at home. The New Year brings in new hopes, goals and vision. We have sustained the pandemic for two years and have ensured to bridge the learning gaps for our learners.

Education is the interplay of human behavior between children and their family, classmates and teachers. Education is a web of communications and inter relationships. There cannot be any education in isolation. Mere enhancement of the internet to 5G will not give children a meaningful education.

The school is the Right Place for a Healthy Start. Schools have direct contact with children for at least 6 hours a day during the most critical years of their social, physical, and intellectual development. Each school day provides students the opportunity to learn the importance of behaviours and skills needed to engage in a healthy lifestyle.

On one hand school means both fun and study. On the other, there are concerns over the looming health crisis that has hit India in the form of the Covid-19 - third wave. However, its intensity is expected to be much lower than the second wave, says the mathematical modelling of the pandemic. Family is the first school where children start their initial learning. The role of teacher is played by mother and father and other members of the family.

Online education outcomes

One may take the school to homes, but one cannot make the home a school. Even in countries with advanced technology the online education outcomes are not so great! The age of e-learning is upon us due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is not a choice between Health and Education! Health scores over anything else! Education is extremely important. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. The COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, over 1.2 billion children in 186 countries are out of the classroom. As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.

Online learning may not be the best for everyone. But what is the alternative during COVID times and ongoing third wave? Some education is better than no education! We should focus on making digital learning available to all. We should focus on the areas where the digital learning platform is deficient.

Internet connectivity will pose a big challenge among students for their online learning. Mobile devices such as smartphones are a great help because of their multiple functions especially in learning nowadays. For students who do not possess such a device because of financial status, this can be remedied easily through sponsorship by the government and other modes of donation from individuals with a willing heart.

Provision of pocket Wifi for students especially in far-flung areas with ample data connection. Improvement of I.T. infrastructure for flexible teaching and supporting the continuous learning of the students. Recalibration of programs and alignment of curriculum competencie