Impact of Coronavirus on education-
Children Missing School After Covid-19 Lockdown
School Days Memories Before Coronavirus
If we talk about memories that we store in our lives, among them most of the memories come from school life. Memories are just related to school and the quality time we spend with our friends and mates.
The memories of school are the best to remain forever in our minds. The school life is the best. Everybody can refer that school life is the golden journey of learning. It hugely impacts the life of the student. A school makes a raw kid able to keep shaping his/her skills and talent and shine in life.
The importance of school can never be negated. We all believe that we get learning experience in school. We get a lot of good experiences along with some bad memories as well. But those bad experiences also make us able to learn what was good and what never to do again.
Covid-19 Affected Educational Institutes -
As per the present situation, uncertainty is hovering over the reopening of schools and colleges. It’s a crucial time for education. Exams and entrance tests are canceled. This all is giving tensions to parents also.
A strong motivation is gained from the extra curriculum activities. There are friends, some from our class 1st and we keep making new friends on our journey. That is the time we learn many things from our own mistakes. Whether the school is big or small but the school gives the best days of our life undoubtedly. Being a kid perhaps we join school crying unwilling to go but this is also a fact we leave school crying. Our school friends whether we leave them midway in our journey, are the best forever.
The school is considered to be a holy place in India. This is a magnificent place where the earth meets the sky. The doors of this magnificent are closed these days and schools are badly missed now when July has almost come to its end. Whether the digital medium of education is an alternative but it can’t replace the real school atmosphere. Nobody can deny that the digital medium provides lessons on a specific problem. But school is school and will remain forever.
School Activities and Fun-
Those classrooms, teachers, fun, games, other activities, and tiffin-sharing all are being missed sorely. The long wait for school bells, meeting friends on the bus, and bidding them bye after school, all these have become past now.
The novel coronavirus is possibly worse than other viruses. This virus has brought everyone in the home and the home has become a jail. Presently longing for a vaccine can be a real solution. Hospitalization and isolation are necessary measures. Education boards and universities had to postpone exams also and now the students and authorities are struggling hard to conduct exams and announce the results.
The world came to a standstill. From villages to cities, from small nations to superpower countries are all affected. Who knows how long this pandemic will hold us stuck in the home scared and worried as well.
Pressure on Parents-
Not only students but mothers are also missing schools. They are missing the tiffin packing, readying their kids for schools. One more thing also, they miss the moment of solitude when their kids are in schools or coaching.
Mothers say they are lucky that this pandemic has hit at the time of modern technology. During the long lockdown, kids can watch cartoons on TV, play video games, and online services a lot of entertaining programs and games.
Fathers also find it tough to manage the unruly atmosphere at home because mostly they are not habitual of this din what happens inside the home all day if the kids are at home.
Kids have to bear the scoldings and beatings for their casual fights with their siblings.
Education With Technology & No Playground-
Staying at home, students are learning and spending some quality time also. Thanks to the digital world, schools are keeping kids engaged while moms take some rest. Once, these young naughty devils are off to school, the moms take a deep breath for some hours, enjoy their world, and can complete their other chores or work.
Coronavirus pandemic has significantly disrupted various sectors in India including education. But e-education, by no means, is school education. No physical presence can’t bring that experience of teaching. Social media can feed us with many informative subjects. There are websites, apps other digital tools to provide education at home. But no doubt school is the only school. No place can replace it.
Playgrounds, parks, and gardens are also closed so no outings cause more irritation and boredom. Playing at home and making fun of each other is a tough time to manage. No physical activities are affecting the health of kids. Some are putting on the extra weight and become lazy only.
But in absence of any foolproof vaccine to end the pandemic. We have to accept the importance of online education as well. In this crisis-ridden world, online education is like a boon for children to continue their education somehow or more. This has kept the kids busy and attached to their studies.
Still online education has snatched away the charm of school education and the additional fun that students find in being among their physical teachers and students.
Pressure On Teachers-
Teachers have been tasked with technology to teach online and check their homework. Technology is a big tool and necessity. Now teachers find it agonizingly hard to manage all this online teaching. Every city in India is not facilitated with high speed of internet and kids are not capable to understand what the portion is being explained on WhatsApp, Instagram, or others. Even parents too find it difficult to explain what the teachers are teaching. So online teaching is not that feasible and easy in India and many undeveloped countries.
Changing Behaviour of Kids-
Kids are not worried about their belongings. In the home no search for eraser, scale, or any notebooks, no one seems to be in hurry for homework or test preparations. All this tension or fun has been snatched away.
In absence of school and tuition classes, the home has itself become a zoo where all the kids stay all the time together. They get more reasons to fight and yell at each other. Parents sometimes truly find it tough to control their tiny warriors who landed on the battlefield.
Continuous complaints of misbehavior and snatching TV remote has become a quite common scene in all homes.
Every kid wants to watch their favorite programs and seems to be glued to mobile sets watching any cartoons or playing games. Parents find it impossible to deny them these gadgets otherwise what more the kids will do.
Online classes are the need of the hour and education is very necessary for all kids, but the parents, as well as the kids all, are desperately waiting for a good time. Soon, any vaccine should come and this pandemic will end.
Wait for Covid-19 Vaccine-
The immediate solution to this tiny killer virus is necessary because this virus has caused immense damage to the economy and societal consequences. Due to the closedown of educational institutes, it is estimated to affect around 610 million learners across the world. (Statistics from the internet)
Adverse Impact On Educational Sector-
This will adversely affect salary cuts, bonuses, and increments because institutions are not going to receive fee payments.
The universities may also face the impact of admissions, internships, and placements in the next session. Lower fee collection may invite some more financial problems. New job placements will be put on hold not only in educational sectors but in other sectors also.
Foreign education is also at stake, due to COVID-19 foreign universities are closed and the aspirant students will also not take admissions in near future. Because this situation doesn’t seem to leave us so soon.
Students who have completed their graduation or higher education will also fear for their employment. This Covid-19 has added to unemployment additionally.
New Methods’ Thinking-
We all hope good when these situations ease and governments allow educational institutes to reopen across the nation.
Now, children who start school will have to be more cautious and parents will have to guide their kids carefully.
The educational authorities will have to maintain safety and sanitization and apply social distancing inside the school building. This means, their responsibilities are going to increase and they will have to bear extra tensions and be careful about the safety of their students.
Technology will play an important role in this pandemic and artificial intelligence (AI) will be taken in the job. Strict vigilance is the need of the hour in the school as well as on the bus. The boarding schools have to take extra precautions in the hostels and the movements of the students.
Students will be taught to take care of and maintain social distancing. This is not going to be easy to guide small kids to stay away from their classmates.
Teachers are role models for their students but a great teacher is a great learner also, who also can learn the use of technology for good cause, which they can use best for their students. The ability to learn faster any technique is the quality of the teachers that’s why these traits can be applied for guiding their students.
The students sincerely adopt the quality of their teachers. Therefore, school administration can better teach their students what precautions should be maintained, if teachers themselves take care of safety and follow the guidelines, it will sincerely be followed by the students.
Conclusion-
We have to be very careful and come up with solutions and safety until any medicine or vaccine not come into the market. We have to live with this virus with utmost care and safety.
School is the place where a student spends a long part of his life and without school, a student’s life is incomplete.
We hope schools will reopen soon.
