Students in Dissent with their education post-pandemic

Undoubtedly one of the most relative impacts of the current COVID-19 pandemic has been education. According to the UNICEF-ITU estimate, 1.6 billion children worldwide were impacted by this, making it the largest widespread disruption of education in modern times.

To confront the situation, policymakers from all across the world have called for a shift to remote learning. Given that many people lack access to the Internet, this has, however, resulted in an unbalanced landscape.

Despite being important, online education greatly increased the gap between teaching and understanding. It was challenging for students to stay on top of their regular classes when they were unable to connect with their peers or use digital learning tools.

Due to accessibility concerns, India has long had issues with the delivery of education. The lack of connectivity has made this worse. Despite a near to 50% Internet penetration rate, just 15% of students in the age range of 5 to 25 have access to it.

There is a promise for change with more schools offering online courses and a plethora of new tools to enhance the online model and make it a workable replacement for a traditional classroom. Mobile internet-enabled technology has the potential to alter the way education is delivered and make it more individualised, affordable, and shock-resistant. This convergence is advantageous for both students and teachers.

Is virtual education available for everyone? 

The covid-19 pandemic has made all the countries around the world adopt a distance mode of teaching and learning. Classes are conducted online, assignments are effected through digital formats, and assignments and projects are given and collected for assessment online. The emergence of such practices is the trendsetter for the new world order.

Extension of teaching beyond school classrooms and the transformation of home learning spaces etc have made revolutionary changes in thought action attitudes and values of the people’s mindset, particularly among students and parents. 

Free but effective online tools are designed and made available to pupils across the continents nowadays.

Through various mediums and platforms, online education is provided to students, and initiatives have been taken to provide education to the students. But the question is, is this virtual education available for everyone? 

Inequalities in learning in the post-pandemic

Disruptions to education systems over the past year have already driven substantial losses and inequalities in learning. All the efforts to provide remote instruction are laudable, but this has been a very poor substitute for in-person learning.  Even more concerning, many children, particularly girls, may not return to school even when schools reopen.

School closures and the resulting disruptions to school participation and learning are projected to amount to losses valued at $10 trillion in terms of affected children’s future earnings.  Schools also play a critical role around the world in ensuring the delivery of essential health services and nutritious meals, protection, and psycho-social support. Thus, school closures have also imperilled children’s overall well-being and development, not just their learning.  

The pandemic multiplied the dropout rate and caused a huge learning deficit for those who remain. The digital divide is only one of many challenges. The compensatory measures, before and after reopening, vary hugely across states. There is no Hint of an all-India strategy. The Nipun Bharat programme to tackle basic learning deficits has been deferred rather than expedited. 

Students are in Dissent

Less student involvement and a sharp reduction in attention span were the results of the switch to an all-online learning environment and a lack of discipline. And this led to dissent among students for various reasons. 

A lack of focus

Since the pandemic started, there has been a significant influence on kids’ learning and socio-emotional requirements, resulting in poor focus and an irrational attitude. Additionally, fewer outside activities and more interior activities have demotivated pupils. It is difficult to maintain their interest in classroom lectures as a result.

Insufficient articulation

For many people, the abrupt change from a solitary setting to an interactive one has been difficult. Teachers have observed significant declines in pupils’ oral and writing communication abilities across all school levels.

Expanded screen time

The pandemic encouraged children to spend more time in screens, which had negative repercussions on their mental health and caused eye strain. Students’ ingenuity in concealing devices in their pockets, sweatshirts, or even open pockets of their backpacks has made it difficult to enforce rules with them. Increased screen time has contributed to a lack of physical activity in youth, which has resulted in obesity and other problems.

Psychological pain

The pandemic has had an impact on pupils’ psychological health. More than ever, students struggle with worry, alienation, dread, and bewilderment. The psychosocial development of students is greatly influenced by their school environment. As a result, by studying, playing, and interacting with their classmates, young kids gain a sense of belonging.

How technology is shaping the architecture of education in the post-pandemic Era.

To reflect this new reality, schools can adapt their physical spaces, and academic institutions can update their curriculum and evaluation procedures to take the new educational landscape into account. Our shared goal of providing all students with a high-quality education is changing as a result of technology.

Now more than ever, having access to technology and the Internet is a must. The transition to remote learning has not only given teachers and assessors new opportunities to educate and evaluate, but it has also boosted self-learning.

Although not everyone thinks that online education is a perfect replacement for conventional education, a hybrid approach might become more popular in the future. The traditional educational paradigm is redefined by the blended learning approach, which also has a favourable effect on the four fundamental equations of teacher-student, student-student, parent-student, and parent-teacher. As a new cooperative model emerges, all four equations are recreated.

As we move through the post-COVID-19 scene, new difficulties are arising. It will be necessary to handle the transition time by combining digital and traditional teaching and learning methods.

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