The
last few weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak has witnessed a tremendous shift in the
education system in India. As the virus spreads around the world, many
countries are implementing measures from a ban on mass gatherings to the
temporary closing down of schools. According to UNESCO monitoring, many
countries have closed down the schools to minimize the transmission of
coronavirus, which has impacted 1.5 billion students across the globe.
While schools are temporarily closed for the
safety of the children, schooling continues as students are being educated
remotely using technology. Online learning tutorials and massive open online
courses are becoming the need of the hour. From an educational perspective,
students could benefit from technology at home, provided that they are spending
their time productively and using tech for good.
Delivering
education to every student across the country would require the states to
overcome the significant challenges such as providing digital learning
resources in teaching, sound capabilities in distance education, or
curriculum-linked online resources for teaching and learning, regardless of
place and time. The Heritage School, ICSE School in Dehradun, is sharing a few
ideas that countries should focus on.
1. Designing programs and policies to include the most
vulnerable, or students belonging to the economically weaker sections with
equipment and connectivity.
2. Providing internet connectivity to schools that
need it the most.
3. Reimbursement in the finances of the digital
curriculum and learning materials for students.
4. Improvements in digital communication technologies
for schools to deliver education online effectively.
The Heritage School, the top school in Dehradun, sees
this time of crisis as an opportunity for all educational institutions to look
into the future and build their capacity to adjust and overcome the possible
threats.
