The Impact Of Pandemic On Education And Education System

Today we’re analysing the impact of pandemic on education and education system. There are various ways in which covid-19 has impacted the education system of the world in general and India in particular.

Unprecedented rise of e-learning

The biggest impact the pandemic has had on the education system is a complete paradigm shift from offline learning to online and e-learning. Although e-learning was a popular concept in the West, but India hadn’t capitalized on that before the pandemic. However, the pandemic has forced this change upon the Indian education system.

Lower access for lower economic strata

The major downside of online learning is lack of access to learning materials for the underprivileged sections of society. The instruments of online educations, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones are quite expensive, and data consumption adds to the expenses. Moreover, municipal schools don’t have the resources to promote online learning, and hence education of the lower economic strata comes to a standstill.

Studies suggest that online learning enhances retention of material

Studies have shown that it is easier to learn and grasp material online than in real life. This could be due to a lot of reasons. Familiarity of setting and probably lack of distractions could be one. Proximity to caretakers for young children could also play a role. The flexibility of routine and ability to set your own pace also factors into the process.

Shift to digital exams, assignments and projects

The most obvious impact of COVID is that all assignments and exams have become online tasks. Thus their nature has changed as well. Group presentations have reduced and essays have increased. Similarly, most exams are now multiple choice questions instead of long answers. Activities and festivals for younger children are also held online.

High growth of educational technology

The conversion of schools into virtual educational platforms has prompted governments all across the world to invest in their educational technology. This use of technology for a noble purpose has given direction to the heedless advancement of technology. Today, there are several wonderful exam softwares, online forums for discussion and online reading and textual resources. All of this transition has happened smoothly due to the growth of educational technology.

Lack of classroom experience

A virtual room just does not have the feel of an actual classroom. With the desks, chairs, blackboards and soft boards, the school forms an integral part of a child’s childhood and influences personality greatly. In the absence of a physical setting, this experience becomes different and less potent. A normal school is a microcosm of the word, where the child must operate and fashion his life. But online, it remains just a one way flow of infotmation

Incomplete development of social and communication skills

While online schooling can make up for the development of professional, cognitive and informational skills, it leads to incomplete development of social skills. Due to reduced interaction among peers and between teachers and students, social skills take a backseat. One merely has to log in online, listen to the professor, study and write exams. It’s difficult to form lasting school friendships and understand the social world via the, Thus social growth remains stunted.

Lack of personal interaction between teacher and student

One downside of the pandemic is that it has reduced the personal touch that human communication has. This reflects in the education system as well, wherein it becomes hard to establish an emotional connect between the teachers and students. This makes it harder for students, especially younger ones, top open up with their teachers full and to trust them.

Transfer of funds from infrastructure maintenance to online adaptation

Since schools are shut down, the money that was used for their maintenance has now shifted to making the online schooling experience hassle free. Thus, more investment is now made in usage of online forums and resources to promote learning, access to online libraries and more.

Improved accessibility

Before the pandemic, at least in India, teachers segregated the personal from the professional. They did not exchange phone numbers, email addresses or the like. However, now, the pandemic has forced online contact between the teachers and students, increasing accessibility greatly.

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