There might be a million constants in your life, but change is inevitable. There’s not a single person in the world that could have predicted the possibility of everything changing completely. The pandemic waves have transformed the most basic of the activities that we, as humans, practice!
From staying at home to studying at home and working from home, we have had to adapt to several new ways of living the same old life. Every sector of the economy was affected by the pandemic, and they all had to adapt to a unique way of coping with the changes.
In the educational sector, the primary reaction for most governments was to temporarily close the schools to control the impact of Covid-19. All decisions were made for the well-being of the students so that they can stay safe at home and be protected from the virus.
The reduction in the overall number of active cases and the increasing number of vaccinations have helped the world return to its old ways. But it is safe to say that some changes brought along by the pandemic are here to stay for a long time.
The Negative Impact of Covid-19 on Education
Educated parents, aware of the importance of education, supported their children throughout the pandemic. But some illiterate parents felt helpless while being unable to help their children’s education.
Even though the schools were closed, students were attending classes through various educational initiatives like online classrooms and new options for remote education. Several students weren’t equipped with the right resources to attend the online classes, and their scope of education suffered quite a lot during the pandemic.
The teaching culture in our country has remained traditional for the longest time. So, the teachers who were all used to blackboards, chalks, books, and teaching in a classroom, faced several difficulties while adapting to the new trend of online classes. There was usually a delay or even cancellation of exams, which created a lot of confusion and left no real room for a defined curriculum.
Teachers have had to adopt the new medium of teaching and eventually learned to handle the situation well and aided the students during this tough time. Some teachers who couldn’t change with the changing times, because of personal limitations, opted for alternative job options to support their families.
Let’s shift our focus on the main segment of the educational sector that was affected by the pandemic, the children.
A vast majority of children are now forced to understand the syllabus of two years along with their new curriculum. Online education has a number of limitations.
A child’s attention is a fleeting resource and is extremely difficult to hold, virtually. So, having missed the key learnings of the last two years, they now face a tremendous amount of pressure to cope with the current syllabus.
The Positive Impact of Covid-19 on Education
While highlighting the positive impacts of the pandemic on education, the first thing that comes into mind is the integration of modern technologies into the education system. Education and technology have always gone hand-in-hand. Covid-19 simply accelerated the adoption of digital technologies to deliver education seamlessly, in the need of the hour.
Educational institutions have shifted to hybrid learning models and encourage teachers and students to adapt to the changing trends. Soft technology, online, webinars, virtual classrooms, teleconferencing, digital exams, and assessments have become a common phenomenon.
If not for the pandemic, we might have merely just defined these trends, or we might have come into practical use about a decade
later. Although this transition to the digital approach may seem forced, it was the only usable solution at the time.
The integration of new technologies in the field of education does not mean that it improves the interaction between teacher and student but it helped bridge the gap caused by the pandemic. Adapting to the new technologies has opened up new possibilities for the teachers and students, but only if used appropriately.
The concept of distance education was on the verge of becoming a prominent trend but needed one strong push to become a prominent part of education, which came disguised as Covid-19. There have been unimaginable collaborations amongst all the stakeholders in the field of education — including administration, teachers, students, parents, and companies developing innovative software for the consistent transfer of knowledge.
Many found that global education and worldwide exposure to ideas are available for those who seek it. The expenditures on travel, tours, and the purchase of study materials have gone down, and it has resulted in significant savings during this touch and uncertain period.
At Great Principals, we hope to bring about a necessary change in the ways of Indian Education. Each new generation is far more capable than the last, and we owe it to evolution. But as humans evolve, we are required to transcend from our old ways and look at things from a different perspective, one that shapes the untapped minds of the children for the ever-growing world.
We are here to capture the journeys of marvelous School Leaders and Principals through an interactive talk show. We hope to inspire the parents who are the true changemakers in a child’s growing life. Our goal is to bring about a much-needed change in the way we educate our kids. Feel free to check out our episodes on YouTube www.youtube.com/c/GreatPrincipals.
