Online education is not a real option, now opening schools is a priority

- Education has hit Kovid the hardest

According to a nationwide survey covering 12 states, online education is not working properly. Primary and upper primary schools have been closed and online classes have been started for the last 18 months since the epidemic struck. But whether online education is really effective is yet to be seriously considered. There is evidence of a number of shortcomings in online education. The student is preferred when there is only one smartphone in the house. But the problem of internet connectivity is looming almost everywhere. In addition, there is a difference in the understanding of the student as there is no direct contact with the teacher. The survey found that the online learning experience of all schools, with the exception of a few urban high schools, has been unsatisfactory. Students, parents and teachers have also expressed dissatisfaction with online education and their views have been validated by an intensive study as well as a recently published report.

The Emergency Report on School Education (ERSE) has been compiled by renowned economists Jean Drez and Ritika Khera with the help of researchers Nirali Bakhla and Vipul Pykara. According to a comprehensive survey of more than 100 volunteers by more than 100 volunteers of about 1,200 children studying in grades 1 to 8 in schools in Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The report was prepared. This has led to shocking facts.

According to the report, only 4% of students in rural areas while only 4% of students in urban areas are studying online regularly. In the current months, 12 per cent students in urban areas and 4 per cent in rural areas are not studying at all. These students have dropped out of school altogether. More than half of the students in urban areas i.e. 5 per cent students as well as 21 per cent students in rural areas have not met their teacher for a month before the survey.

Due to the ineffectiveness of online education, the reading skills of the students have decreased and as a result the level of education is likely to decline further. Primary schools that have been closed for the last 200 days have been negatively affected in many ways.

The first effect is that the level of education has declined. Second, the closure of schools has led to the closure of mid-day meals, which has led to a decline in children's nutritional levels. However, according to the report, 80 per cent of government school children were given the option of a mid-day meal at school. But 60 per cent of children in urban areas and 15 per cent in rural areas did not get any alternative i.e. they were not given food nor cash. The third is that now that the children have to pass without an exam, they will go to the next class even though their reading skills have decreased. This distinction will not be easy to fill because the effect will be visible for years to come. Fourth, the impact on socio-economic classes has been more severe. Only five per cent of children from the Dalit and tribal population are attending online classes. The level of education in this group has declined by 21 per cent. The decline in reading skills and education levels will be felt in urban and rural areas for years to come. A fifth impact has been on the growing number of students dropping out of school. Hundreds of parents have dropped their children out of school due to unaffordable school fees. According to the report, this fifth reason has led to a significant increase in the number of child laborers, especially in the 11- to 18-year-old age group. This includes children who drop out of school and work at home. This effect is especially felt on girls compared to boys.

According to the survey, schools should be reopened as soon as possible. Keeping it off can have serious long-term adverse effects. This is the long-term side effect of covid. However reopening schools will require tight planning and logic. It can be started with partial attendance of students in which students can be asked to attend simultaneously. Children's cognitive development requires direct communication with their teacher. The school is also a great way for children of different classes and races to interact with each other. Lunch is necessary not only for the nutrition of the child but also for him to get along with each other.

A balance has to be struck between the third wave of the Covid and the Delta variant poses a threat to students and teachers and the benefits of opening schools. Strict adherence to the Covid protocol, proper knowledge about the treatment of Covid, and vaccination can lead to a calculated risk. It may be mentioned that 5% of parents in rural areas are strongly in favor of reopening schools. In response to a question on whether schools should be reopened, some parents said that there was no need to ask such a question.

Kovid's excuse should not continue the lockdown anymore. The epidemic was sudden and we were unaware of it but now we have a lot of information about it so that we can plan properly. Last year a strict lockdown was imposed for choosing between life or subsistence. But now, 18 months later, that is no longer the case. Many people became unemployed last year. They need support now. At the same time, the devaluation of human resources must be stopped. Remember that today's children are tomorrow's workers.

The ERSE report can be considered as a warning. The closure of online schools has led to a decline in children's reading and writing skills as well as a change in children's behavior that no statistics can prove. According to the parents' complaint, the children have become lazy, lack of exercise, irritability, in some cases violent, rude and have become addicted to mobile phones. Clearly, the benefits of opening a school far outweigh the benefits of reading and writing skills.

- Umesh Thakkar