Scanning through the Effects of Pandemic on Children's Education!

Needless to say, COVID-19 had taught a decent lesson to humankind. The Schools were shut down on a temporary basis due to the lockdown restrictions imposed by the government. This led to the transition from Offline learning to Online/At home learning. Through this blog, let's check out what adaptive measures have been adopted to deal with such circumstances. So, without any further ado, let's get started :)
Introduction
The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a huge impact on the education of children. With many schools closed and no end in sight, many students had difficulty continuing their education. Most governments had initially decided to close the schools temporarily to reduce the impact of the deadly virus. The Schools were permitted to reopen later for a few classes, as the number of cases was reduced. Ironically, reopening led to an increase in the number of cases that indeed resulted in the closure of the schools yet again.
Impact of the Pandemic
Children who have been affected by the Pandemic were more likely to miss school due to illness. When they did attend school, they tended to miss more days than other children and this has a negative effect on their grades. Also, many teachers and other staff had been affected by the pandemic which resulted in a shortage of professional staff in schools and universities.
Some schools tried to make up for the lack of teachers by hiring substitutes or bringing in retired teachers as volunteers. This is not an ideal solution as these teachers often don't have the same level of expertise as regular teachers and it can be challenging for them to keep up with all the material that needs to be covered in a given day's lesson.
Alternative Educational Methods - Were they sufficient for all or not?
-Students had been attending their classes through alternate methods like online classes via Google Meet or Zoom or Microsoft Teams and various radio programs. Though these methods have proven to be beneficial in such dire circumstances, there were lots of students who didn’t possess the resources to attend the online classes, hence they suffered a lot. Many students were struggling to even obtain the gadgets required for online modes of study.
-Teachers who had been teaching using blackboard, chalk and books now had to switch to using electronic modes of teaching like using the digital board, e-books and taking online submissions of assignments. This resulted in a shift in the mode of study which both the teachers and the students found strenuous to adjust to initially.
-The designed school curriculum couldn't be followed strictly in many places and the students who solely went to schools for midday meals didn't receive them. They didn't have the basic means of survival. Also, their parents lost their work, and couldn't afford them financially hence their education was put to a halt.
Key Takeaways
-School education is a significant part of the development of a country. This is because it is one of the most important tools to shape the future generation.
-The dropout of students from the educational sectors depresses their prospects for a brighter future and constricts their opportunities as they step into adulthood. Being deprived of proper basic education undermines their chances of attending a good college and ultimately finding a fulfilling job that enables them to support a family.
-The term “unfinished learning” is used to capture the reality that students, during the pandemic, have not been given the opportunity to complete all the learning they would have completed in a typical year.
Conclusion
Around 250 million students in India were affected due to the closure of schools during the lockdown. Some students who have disengaged from school altogether have slipped academically backwards, which led them to lose the knowledge and skills they once had. Being academically deprived, they are at risk of finishing school without the skills, behaviours and mindsets to succeed further in life.
Hold on! We hope you loved going through this blog. Spread the word by sharing this wonderful blog with your friends and loved ones. Make sure you plant a sapling on important occasions and behave responsibly towards the environment. Thank you very much for reading this blog. Article by: Aindrila Jana, Image Source: Unsplash.

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