Ravindra Kumar Mishra
(The writer is a former Chief Consultant, MHRD, GOI)
Education is more than a right to learn. It is at the centre to build human capital that cannot wait. Education always matters and never stops. Coronavirus has had a devastating impact on education. Simultaneously it has broadened opportunity for around 80 per cent of the world’s students and 100 per cent of our country who are now out of school. Hard earned gains and achievement could stagnate or reverse as lockdown is extended. How can we help children keep learning in this critical situation when schools are closed? Such an education disruption at such a large-scale was never witnessed ever when children, parents, teachers and education system are facing this challenge to ensure uninterrupted learning of children.
There are no two opinions that our children deserve to be equipped with the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly demanding and uncertain situation. Given that today’s children will be tomorrow’s citizens and leaders, a non-stop education is essential to turn aspirations into reality. It is an irony that educational institutions right from schools to higher education institutions are among the first one to close shutters and merit attention.
The Right to Education Act mandates elementary education as right of children and provisions for 200-220 school functioning days. School days are affected by flood, inundation, landslides, earthquake, epidemics and pandemics like natural disasters and conflicts, strikes, bandhs related closures. It is surrounded by sobering reality of digital division and the role of “digital India”, the flagship programme of ensuring internet accessibility and availability.
COVID–19 threat and uncertainty gives an opportunity to test education technology at large in order to mitigate the lost time in school. Remote learning, distance education and online solutions are emerging and evolving in a big way. This necessitates dedicated public wi-fi system that may be made available for students and teachers in rural and urban localities for arranging workable computers from organizations on donations or on loan for those who do not have these products and services at home.
Teachers are best placed to create a routine, content development, management and delivery in an appropriate manner which is available and accessible. They can schedule time to catch students on one-to-one basis at least once in a week. Teachers already have sophisticated knowledge of planning learning sequences and different pedagogical approaches. It is expected that learning resources, including multimedia resources, can be available, organized and accessed to complete the teaching-learning exercise.
It is a fact that online teaching is different from a regular classroom that can offer excellent opportunities to share and show case for the teachers.This proffers good time to teaching community to use and hone their professional abilities in the best interest of teaching-learning process. It is worth noting that it is a vicarious and flexible classroom to use the learning management system and indelible quality learning experience.
The process of auditing available technology tools, and the skills of teachers and students should be a whole of teacher parents and government’s collaborative effort.
Parents can come forward and encourage their wards in using technology in collaboration with teachers in controlled stewardship. Parents’ support and their skills are always an edge and very important in supporting and developing student skill levels.
There is uncertainty of reopening of school and institutions. Hence, long-term sustainability plan is desired in fashion that builds organizational structures and teacher capacity to offer online, blended or face-to-face learning. The teaching-learning process will be resilient to interruptions to face-to-face learning and students will have an enriched learning experience regardless of the mode of learning.
Trust teachers. Remember parents. Wield the technology at its best. Enter into like-minded partnership.