Khadija HetavkarContent Writer (Legal), Rightantra The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our life and thrown us all into uncharted territory marred with unpredictability and loss. Every sector and individual has suffered, including school-going children. Nearly 1.26 billion children worldwide have been impacted by school closures due to the pandemic. India’s student population alone includes around 320 million of these affected learners. The abrupt shift from face-to-face instruction to e-learning has been tumultuous at best. Classes on Zoom, WhatsApp, and similar platforms have become the norm for students, teachers and parents alike. Many parents are unhappy with the increased screen time their children are exposed to and rightly so. Studies show that sitting in front of a screen for a prolonged period can result in declining productivity and cognitive skills, eye strain, regular headaches, obesity, irregular sleep, constant fatigue, and loss of social skills. Students themselves are unhappy with this mode of education. Sara, an 8th grade student says, “I’ve gotten used to online classes but I’m not happy with it. I would rather go to school and study with my friends and teachers around. I’m not able to focus on my studies as I used to and being on my phone and laptop constantly doesn’t help.”
Due to the lockdown, getting out of the house has become increasingly difficult and has resulted in children feeling cooped up, listless, and isolated. “I miss my friends and I want to play with them again. I don’t like this vacation anymore.” says 7 year-old Yuva. Studying in these conditions is nearly impossible for younger children as they lack the focus and ambition they would otherwise be exposed to in a physical learning environment. 5 year-old Kavya’s mother says, “Initially we used to somehow make Kavya sit for her online classes but she refuses to study like this anymore. Now I teach her myself as much as I can so she doesn’t miss out on the basics. She had barely gone to school for six months when the lockdown started. I just hope she is able to adjust whenever her school reopens.” The government has not declared bookstores as an essential service due to which students have been unable to purchase a complete set of textbooks for their new academic year. This has led to them completely relying on their online lectures and notes for exam preparations. Schools have also failed to set a uniform and stable format of administering exams. These factors have contributed to students losing motivation, becoming complacent and experiencing extended learning loss which can adversely affect them in the future when they return to school. Normalizing and readjusting will be more difficult than expected. While e-learning may be convenient for privileged students, a large percentage of the student population mainly comprising disadvantaged students, misses out due to lack of access to resources like internet facilities, devices (smartphones/ laptops/computers), textbooks etc. A glance to the grimmer side of reality reveals that many students from rural areas and economically weaker sections of society were forced to discontinue their schooling during the pandemic because they were unable to keep up with the online mode of education due to varying reasons ranging from financial constraints (inability to pay fees or buy required devices for e-learning) to language barriers and lack of physical study material. Parents prioritize expenses like food, electricity, and other basic necessities over education and find themselves unable to afford the required resources as well as school fees. Komal, a housemaid with two children lamented, “Earlier both my sons used to attend school and when the lockdown started my husband and I managed to save up and buy a smartphone for their online lectures. But now due to the lack of income I might have to pull one of my kids out of school because I can no longer afford the fees.” Children around the nation are losing their shot at a better life and a lifetime of opportunities due to circumstances beyond their control. While the government, NGOs, and other organizations are trying to alleviate this problem, it is still not enough. The number of children who have not enrolled in schools is higher than ever and is constantly rising, the number of dropouts are increasing and the quality of education in general is deteriorating. When schools reopen, the priority should be to attempt to bridge the extensive learning loss and ensure that all the students return back to school. Statistics:
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