The Pandemic Could Help As All Recognize What Real Education Is

Context: COVID disruptions have highlighted the invaluable role of true learning in fulfilling aspirations

Impact of COVID and E-learning on Indian Education

• Inequity, fragility and injustice: 

• Loss of Education: For the vast majority of children, the shutting down of schools is potentially a change in the trajectory of their lives
• Deprivation: For many shutting of schools means  loss of assured meals and withdrawal of an anchor of support in life apart from deprivation of education
• Drop-outs: Some girls face social pressure to drop out of school and get married.

• Lack of teacher-student connect: 

• Online education is ineffective because of this basic character of education
• Physical presence, attention, thought and emotions, all must be directed towards learning goals differently for each student

• Lack of spirit of public service in private schools: Most private schools are bothered about making money only

• For, E.g. Demanding fees for "re-admission", insisting on parents buying net-access devices, exploited their teachers by cutting or not paying their salaries

Basic Structure of Education:

• Education is a social-human endeavour:

•  Some states went for alternatives such as teachers systematically going to the communities where students live and organizing classes with small groups, usually out in the open.
• The widespread struggle across the world to open schools at the earliest is energized by a deep realization of the social-human nature of education. 

• Teachers are central to education

• With them, education can happen anywhere, even under a tree without any other resource

•  A teacher should have patience, dedication, empathy and good judgment

• Spirit of Public Service: Education is effective only when it is truly animated by the spirit of public service

• A vast child care system: For the aspirations and promises of our society to be fulfilled, education is the fundamental social process.

Conclusion: For a progressive society, it is important to identify these basic characters of education and work towards making the education system more inclusive and promote it as a public service.