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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) a global pandemic. Lockdowns were imposed all over the world, and the world experienced a brief global shutdown. One of the most affected sectors was education, where the traditional method of teaching, which included face-to-face interaction and teaching in physical classrooms, was replaced by online education. Students found it difficult to keep up with their studies because there was no interaction, and people using online education platforms faced many infrastructural problems. The Government has encouraged students to continue their studies online. It's a tremendous undertaking for many, yet high-end private and public institutions have no trouble switching to online platforms like Zoom or Google classes or Microsoft teams. Online education has numerous difficulties.
The value of online education platforms soared when the country-wide Lockdown was imposed. Due to the shutdown, the number of students at BYJU (a Bangalore-based educational technology and online tutoring startup) has increased by 200%. Other platforms like Zoom, Cisco, and MS Teams have also seen significant increases in their valuation.
PROBLEMS FACED
Although some scholars believe that online education is the need of the hour and the future of education, the education sector encountered a slew of issues after the lockdown was imposed and educational institutions were closed.
One of the most common issues that the children faced was that their professors, teachers, and instructors had a difficult time obtaining the technology used for conducting online classes, there were connectivity issues, and teachers had to adapt to the change even when they were not ready to because it was the need of the hour, so the students had a difficult time trying to study.
An online lesson makes it harder for students to read the teacher's body language and eye contact. A college professor in suburban Mumbai complains, "I don't receive constant feedback in the form of students' comments during online sessions, which lowers the effectiveness of teaching." How many pupils in this class paid attention? How many of individuals took the information on board and applied it to their lives? Is the speed of instruction, okay? Are there students who are falling behind? These issues emerge even in regular classrooms, but dealing with them is more difficult while learning online.
Online teaching can be monotonous and uninteresting for students at times. Students can never find the time to do online learning because it offers so much flexibility and time. Internet learning can result in extreme absence of individualized consideration. Students expect two-way communication, which can be challenging to execute. Without student practice, the learning process will fall short of its full potential. There are instances when online content is purely theoretical, making it impossible for pupils to put what they've learned into practice.
Classes can be tedious for students if they are forced to listen to what is being said instead of choosing what they want to do with their time. Several parents claimed that their children used their phones constantly while in class; this would be different if the classroom was physical. The teachers also expressed their dissatisfaction with the low turnout, stating that about 70% of the students did not attend the online classes, which impeded their progress.
One of the most major disadvantages of online education is that it is not available to all; there are individuals who cannot afford online classes and hence will always be behind those who can; UNESCO is concerned that this will result in a digital divide among this generation's pupils. At the moment, only a small portion of India's population has access to online education. Power outages, poor or non-existent internet connectivity, and the inability to purchase necessary gear are all big challenges.
In times of pandemic, gender also plays a significant role in gaining access to online education. In rural areas, boys in general have easier access to technological items than girls, according to research conducted at a government school. Girls were found to spend disproportionately more time at home than boys, which often corresponded with the time when these lessons were shown on television. Such educational disparities may worsen India's already considerable salary disparity between men and women.
Due to the inability to administer offline tests, online education has a significant difficulty with student assessment. Most institutions have chosen open book exams or taking exams while monitoring students through videos, but this is insufficient because these types of evaluation techniques will encourage students to take exams without studying or to use unethical methods to complete exams, thus creating a barrier to learning.
There is a significant risk of unexpected appearance or interruption by family members, friends, or pets, which could distract or divert the focus of online learning participants throughout the teaching and learning process.
People around the world are beginning to question whether or not the use of online learning would continue to exist after the epidemic, and how such a move might affect the global education sector.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Because rural areas are the hardest hit by the epidemic, more inclusive education policies are urgently needed, particularly for rural areas. As more individuals lose their employment, the proportion of children attending online classes will inevitably decline. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technology may offer up new avenues for innovative and tailored learning approaches that appeal to a wide range of learning capacities.
A report by UNESCO claims that online education is now the only way to keep the educational sector afloat. However, studies have shown that this type of learning is extremely taxing on students' mental health, making it a necessary evil during the CODID-19 pandemic. The longer schools are closed, the more opportunities children and youth will miss in the future. A total of 24 million students face academic failure. More than 100 million children will be unable to read proficiently as a result of school closures, according to a new UNESCO study. Teachers must be trained and supported in curriculum and assessment method adjustments to measure and mitigate learning losses and prevent vulnerable students from leaving school.
Traditional methods of education, such as physical classes and face-to-face interaction, are the only way to save our education sector. Students should be able to attend in educational institutions as soon as possible, with no further unnecessary delay.