When you think of the word classroom, what image comes first in your mind?
Generally, everyone imagines a room with chairs and tables and a blackboard, right?
Sadly, that’s not the case now. Since the pandemic hit the world, our classrooms are confined to a laptop or a phone. Online learning is a better option for some students than before because now all we do is wake up 5 minutes before the class and join it.
Our generation is seeing a massive transformation in the education sector. To contain the spread of the virus, most governments have temporarily closed educational institutions.
Approximately 1.5 billion students and youth across the world are affected by this. Over 61.6% of the students around the world are affected by the closing of educational institutions.
Delay In The Board Exams
Due to the learning loss that students faced since March 2020, CBSE announced that the board examination for classes 10 and 12 will be held in May, and the results will be declared in July.
Usually, the admission process starts in July and ends in August, but due to this announcement, many universities and institutions will have to change and adjust to the new timetable.
Apart from the UK and the USA, countries like Germany, Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore are among the top study destinations for Indian students. The academic sessions of most of the countries start in July and all the formalities are done by May.
Countries like the UK, USA, and Canada may give some relaxation to Indian students for the academic session that begins in July.
Students that are looking to go abroad for higher education should have a back-up plan because some areas are locked down.
Also Read: Long Pending, Revolutionary Changes In Indian Education System Are Here
How Has Pandemic Affected The Education Sector?
More than 3.6 million people lost their jobs in the education sector due to the pandemic. This data was released in May 2020. Not only this, but there has been a rise in school dropouts during this pandemic.
Around 20 million children and youth are expected to drop out of school this year because of the economic impact of the pandemic. The crisis is also affecting the unemployment rate in the country because many companies are withdrawing the job offers they made to recent graduates.
The National Education Policy 2020 is a change that was much needed in the education sector. This policy focuses on establishing creativity, innovation, and critical thinking as a major part of school learning.
Why Is It Still A Mess?
The institutions in the education sector suffered, but students and teachers were the ones who suffered the most. Most private institutions are receiving full payment from the students. Their expenses for electricity, gardening, etc has also reduced, but the problem starts here.
Many people who used to work as bus drivers or cleaners in schools are now jobless. More than 20 lakh bus and taxi drivers lost their jobs. Many private school teachers are still not getting their full salary.
Now, if we talk about government schools in village areas, we see a completely different situation. The students from remote areas and whose parents’ income is not sufficient for them to buy a smartphone are the ones who are suffering a lot.
They don’t have a choice whether to attend the classes or not. They just simply can’t.
Many children who are in high school are going through a lot of emotional and mental stress. Studying under so much stress will only hamper their growth because this is the age when a person grows mentally, physically, and emotionally.
The same goes for the people who are attending college who are losing interest in some subjects because of the lack of focus and motivation. Students are also missing on lab work and field-based work because the universities are closed.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that humans hate the idea of unfamiliarity. However, we possess the ability to adapt to new changes too. Such an irony!
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: India Today, The Economic Times
Find The Blogger: @PrernaMagan
This Post Is Tagged Under: Online classes, school, digital learning, education, national education policy, Highschool, University, education sector, government, pandemic, coronavirus, government, board exams, unemployment, John Galapon
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