The Pandemic Could Help As All Recognize What Real Education Is

The Indian Express     24th September 2020     Save    

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.