Has Covid-19 Widened the Gap in Public Education System in India?

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we look at the situations. It has taught us that change is the only constant, and with future being unpredictable, we should be prepared for the adversities. While all the sectors have undergone an overhaul due to the pandemic, education is one of the most impacted domains. With schools completely shut down for months, there are no options other than to embrace technology and use it for betterment of students. While private schools have already been under digital transformation in education industry, and were the first ones to go digital, public education sector has suffered unexpectedly.

If we go by the numbers, India has not been a real performer in terms of elementary and secondary education. The Annual States of Education Report survey conducted in 2016 revealed that around 3.5 percent children between the age of 11-14 years and 13.5 percent children between the age of 15 and 16 years in rural India were dropouts. If this is not all, a World Bank report stated that one in five primary school teaching vacancy is not filled and only one teacher is running the school in rural areas.

While most schools have started online classes, public education schools are somewhere behind in the race. If we combine the drop out ration with unavailability of teachers and lack of resources, it won’t be wrong to say that the impact of pandemic on education is deeper than what we can imagine.

The Way Forward

Digital education transformation is yet to reach rural India and in some of the government-run schools. Even if it reaches the rural areas, lack of resources and inability of students and their families to go hand-in-hand with the transformation will be the two biggest barriers.

However, there’s always a solution to the problem. The simplest and most effective approach will be to start with teachers. Ensure that every school has adequate staff who are technologically advanced to pass on the learning to students.

In addition, there’s a need for government-aided schools to show interest in technology. While many schools in urban India have adapted to the change, there are still a lot in gaps in rural areas that must be addressed by the authorities.

There are many e-learning solution providers offering course lessons and other class management tools for free. Moreover, online meeting platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet have come out as free and handy tools for teachers to take up classroom lessons online.

It is for schools to identify their needs and look out for solutions that best fit into the requirement. As far as the market is concerned, there are both free and players in the market. The choice depends on how well the solution matches with the needs and budget of the school.

Author Bio

Rishikesh

A blogger by hobby and teacher by profession, Rishikesh has been a part of the education industry for over a decade. He has written extensively about Indian education system and how it can be changed for better.