The social and economic unrest caused by the pandemic has given rise to several difficulties all over the world and one of the major hard-hit institution being the education system. The higher education sector in India consists of 3.74 crore students across 993 universities, 39,931 colleges, and 10,725 stand-alone institutions. This particular segment of the country is very heterogeneous with regards to social, cultural and financial background. With only 50% of the population in India having internet connectivity, most of the students were not prepared for online study sessions. Many of the students had to migrate back home which gave rise to other issues such as lack of availability of resources, particularly for individuals from less privileged parts of the country.
There is an uncertainty surrounding the time when institutions will be able to return to a new kind of normal, where campuses will be reopened and face-to-face teaching provided again in full strength. Majority of the students that are not able to work and make a living may not be in a financial situation that will allow them to return to the institution and continue their studies, once the epidemic is over. Due to economic inequalities, many students do have smartphones or computers or even proper network connectivity to have access to virtual classes which leads to educational disparities among the students, it can be devastating for their future.
The current scenario of adapting to online mode of teaching learning experience has been more of a quick response to tackle the issue which requires further polishing. The experience of working and teaching from distance is an important opportunity to learn from this exceptional situation and to propose more flexible learning possibilities, explore blended or hybrid learning and mixing synchronous learning with asynchronous learning. There is a need to invest further in technical infrastructures to enable shift from management learning systems to cloud services, to digitalisation of administrative processes and of access of documents, resources and libraries.
The transition from physical lessons to e-learning methodology has been a struggle for most educators. Additionally, the work from home and online teaching mechanisms are taking a toll on their mental health by blurring the professional versus personal boundaries.Teachers have to adapt to online strategies to impact education, many of them are not technologically sound irrespective of their mastery in their field of subject. Solely, relying on sound and virtual videos to connect with students over app creates the teaching-learning experience extremely robotic and monotonous which not only is lacklustre for the students but educators themselves. The experience becomes very impersonal, the teacher-student bond severed.
There has been numerous initiatives by the governmental agencies to make this transition smoother such providing audio-video aids, e-books and journals. Swayamprabha intends to screen 32 educational channels across the Nation to solve the non-uniform internet penetration across the country. The content would be created by institutions such as IIT, UGC, NCERT etc. Ministry of Human Resource & Development has also ensured the provisioning of virtual labs that simulate an environment to perform experiments.
One pressing issue which resurfaces is the level of knowledge being absorbed by students, whether it is sufficient for practical usage. Each and every student has different ways of understanding a particular subject, with open book examinations and online assignments which are bombarded with short deadlines leads to over burdening and blurring of personal life. Psychological issues which arises due to study pressure, environmental stressors affect performance, with increase in violence at home due to lockdown, balancing household responsibilities with educational demands become hectic which can lead to mental stress.
The pandemic has led to a total change in scenario, it has not only affected the social functioning of individuals but has created a significant gap among knowledge receivers by highlighting the social and economic barriers which were previously prevalent. There is a need to strengthen the educational system by creating a safe environment by empowering the educators and the students, by reducing the widening gap between them so they a collaborative platform could be created to increase their skills and enrich learning experience.
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NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of New Delhi Times (NDT)
