Ushering in a new life into our Educational System!
A Responsible Approach to Post-COVID education scenario in India
A Reflection!
Fr/Dr. Maria Charles SDB
As the educational institutions plan for facing the post-COVID education scenario, they can
either see a valley of challenges or see a horizon of possibilities. Where do we go from here? Is
the Indian education system in a major crisis as around 300 million students are affected by the
whirlwind of Corona which has thrown every education endeavour for a toss? The Schools, as of
now, are closed at least for a few more months. Most of the unaided private schools have
exhausted their funds and are dependent on the parents to pay the salary of the teachers. The
Government-run schools and the aided schools are in a state of dilemma as to when they can
resume with the interrupted education.
Most of their students in India do not have access to online learning. Recently a survey done
among the JNU students reveal that 40% of the students do not have the possibility of
attending online classes. The various reasons cited by them include Internet connectivity issues,
lack of personal gadgets, loss of family livelihood, and domestic burden. These are of grave
concern to the University.1 The same survey reveals that 97% of the teachers did not receive
technical support for online classes from the University, and they had to pay for the internet
pack by themselves. If this is the situation in a premium University, one can only imagine the
situation in rural marginalised areas. There was much confusion too about the conducting of
exams which eventually many Governments cancelled. Is this a period of dormancy, or are we
clueless about making changes happen within our educational system?
The post-COVID Challenges in Education
Children have no access to schooling: India has one of the largest education systems in the
world with 1028 Universities, 45,000 degree colleges, 13,00,000 schools, 10 million teachers and
330 million students.2 Worldwide, more than 250 million children had no access to education in
2018, the United Nations agency for education reported on 24th June 2020.3 Children from
more impoverished communities as well as girls, the disabled, immigrants, and ethnic minorities
were more likely to miss out on education in many countries. According to the report of the
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), India, 32 million Indian children have never been to any
https://www.theindianwire.com/education/during-covid-19-lockdown-over-40-students-fail-to-attendjnus-online-classes-275045/
1
2
https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Final%20English%20HRM%20speech%20G20_0.pdf
3
https://www.dw.com/en/260-million-children-miss-out-education-unesco/a-53908881
school. They are mostly from socially disadvantaged class. How can we reform education for the
underprivileged?4
Disadvantaged groups are often subtly kept out of schooling: UNESCO further warns that,
"Unfortunately, disadvantaged groups are kept out or pushed out of education systems. They
are side-lined through subtle decisions leading to exclusion from curricula, irrelevant learning
objectives, stereotyping in textbooks, discrimination in resource allocation and assessments,
tolerance of violence and neglect of needs"5
Massive crisis in Education: Ministry of Human Resource Development which oversees the
development of education is placed in the lowest category of expenditure (C category) in the
Government and can only have plans for spending within 15% in the financial year 2020-21.
How can the Government face the enormous crisis of education within this funding? With the
small businesses having drowned in the vacuum of COVID and employment taken a
considerable plunge, new admissions have come to a halt and most probably going to school
may become an option for students.
The crisis of Fees: What plans do schools have to ensure the re-admission of all the students?
Will the schools refuse admission to students if they are unable to pay tuition fee and other
fees? Can our schools manage to run without the annual fee? Many parents have not paid the
tuition fee too. How can the teachers be given their salary without the collection of fees? Will
there be concessions for the migrants and those who have lost their jobs? What if students or
their parents choose the 'new normal' way of studying from home or studying online? With the
fear of the deadly virus, many parents may be reluctant to send their children to schools. As of
now, we are not sure when the schools will reopen in India. So, we must wait and see how this
situation unfolds for the future.
Is Social distancing feasible in our schools? The post-COVID regulations for opening schools
may involve social distancing, various forms of hygiene and protecting children from viral
infections. As per the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) statistics,
published by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in 2018, there are
53,533 schools in India which are single classroom schools. In 19% of schools, the student
classroom ratio (STR) is 35, and above and in 8.3% of schools, i.e., around 1.3 lakh schools, more
than 50 students sit in one classroom.6 Will reducing the class hours or the attendance solve the
problem? Is it feasible to practice social distancing and provide sanitising agents in a country
like ours?
4
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/32-million-indian-children-havenever-been-to-any-school-how-can-we-reform-education-for-the-underprivileged-1582293-2019-08-19
Ibid.
U-DISE Flash Statistics 2016-17, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New
Delhi. 2018. P.19.
5
6
Our Teachers need support: What will be the fate of teachers, especially those who work in the
private sector? What if they must work for a reduced salary or leave the job? Many pre-primary
teachers had to discontinue with the promise that they could work once regular classes begin.
Early Childhood Association stated that over 9,000 pre-schools in Maharashtra would be
affected by the ban on online courses for pre-primary till Class 2.7
Will' Alexa' be more student-friendly? The pandemic has forced the educational system into
implementing "technology-based innovative interventions".8 The teachers have started learning
to teach all over again through online classes. With tech support, the teachers are going to
explore new forms of teaching. For the young people, the internet and online learning is fun and
adventurous, but for the teachers, this shift could take some more time. There are many
education-technology companies busy inventing software and educational tools. Post-COVID
era could be the era of education technology. In the future, will 'Alexa's and 'Siri's be more
student-friendly than teachers?
What will be the future of school Infrastructure?
What will be the future school infrastructure be? It is not enough to have just more computers,
but the mindset of the school heads and the teachers must change as well. The 75th report of
the National Sample Survey Office (NASSO) of 2017-18 gave a grim picture that may hamper
the transition of classroom mode to the online way of education in India. It says, all India
percentage of households having internet facilities stands at only 23.8% with rural availability at
14.9% and urban at 42%. This statistic depicts that if we are to use the internet as a means to
educate the students, the majority of the students will be left out.9
Lower levels of Learning outcomes: In the article, "Pre-primary schooling: An urgent priority
for India", Ashish Dhawan and Krishnan S write, "India's learning crisis is not news. The National
Achievement Survey of 2017 tells us that 1 in 3 students in Grade 3 cannot read small texts with
comprehension and that 1 in 2 students in Grade 3 cannot use math to solve daily life
problems".10 The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019 reveals that the children's
ability to read Std I level text improves from 16.2% of children in Std I to 50.8% children in Std
III. This inadequacy means that half of all children in Std III are already two years behind where
https://indianexpress.com/article/education/covid-19-impact-several-pre-schools-shut-down-leaveteachers-jobless-in-mumbai-6474934/
7
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/covid-has-forced-the-educational-establishment-tointroduce-e-learning-tools-but-the-chasm-between-haves-and-have-nots-is-a-concern-6469841/
8
9
https://thepolicytimes.com/changing-education-scenario-and-challenges-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/
http://img.asercentre.org/docs/ASER%202019/ASER2019%20report%20/ashishdhawanandkrishnanspre-primaryschooling-anurgentpriorityforindia.pdf
10
the curriculum expects them to be.11India's education system has been weighed down by the
lower levels of learning outcomes, low enrolment and high dropout rates. This pandemic has
worsened the situation and has widened the gap. There could be many dropouts, as well.
The inequality of learning opportunities: The disparity of learning opportunities and learning
certainly needs a conducive environment. Lack of electricity and internet connectivity has
affected the poor and the marginalised all over India. There is a vast state to state variation in
respect of power in schools. While about 98 per cent of Primary schools in Gujarat had electricity
only 4.7 per cent of schools in Jharkhand and 7 per cent of schools in Assam have electricity
supply. In the remaining states, the percentage of schools having electricity varied from 10 per
cent to 82 per cent.12
Endless Possibilities
Has this pandemic changed our outlook on why and how we educate? While the privileged
students do get a chance to download lessons, attend online classes and complete the
assignments, most students in India had no opportunity to participate in this 'online' system of
education. Can education be denied to them? What do we have to offer these students, and
how do we reach out to them? While schools make an effort to include technology in reaching
out to the students (recently through WhatsApp 600 village students were taught lessons), this
is also the time when we can teach children to go beyond the reading plans to explore the
nature, environment and daily events of life.
Time to redefine education: Avijit Pathak, a professor of Sociology at JNU reflecting on the
present-day educators, says: "Hence, as educationists and teachers, we are required to make a
choice. Should we continue with the kind of education that only makes us 'logical', yet ethically
and spiritually impoverished self-centric careerists? Or should we learn some profound lessons
from the present crisis, and redefine education to undertake a new journey: from the narcissism
of modernity to the poetry of connectedness with the rhythm of life and death; from certainty to
mystery; or from weapons of destruction to prayers of redemption."13
Do educators have alternatives in imparting education to children during this tortuous period?
Do we not have anything more than passing knowledge from books through a set pattern of
curriculum through a set of teachers in a conventional classroom set up? Engaging students in
creative ways of learning with the help of technology and asking the students to explore,
11
http://img.asercentre.org/docs/ASER%202019/ASER2019%20report%20/aserreport2019earlyyearsfinal.pdf
12
http://www.niepa.ac.in/download/Research/National_Report_of_Tribal_Areas_of_Nine_States_June10,_2016
.pdf. P.19.
13
https://thewire.in/education/education-modernity-coronavirus
experiment and draw knowledge from various sources may help evolve newer forms of learning
and curriculum.
We need to be inclusive: In the recently released Global education monitoring report, 2020:
Inclusion and education, UNESCO is asking the Governments to engage in meaningful
consultation with communities and parents: inclusion cannot be enforced from above.
Governments should open the space for communities to voice their preferences as equals in the
design of policies on inclusion in education. Schools should increase interaction within and
outside of school walls on school practices through parent associations or student pairing
systems.14 We need to set an example to the rest of the country that we shall offer equal
opportunity for all our students and teachers while we prepare guidelines or set policies for the
post-COVID period education.
Continuation of online education: Recently a survey was done among students, and it
revealed that around 53.3 per cent of students prefer having a mix of both online and offline
training even after the schools resume operations; Whereas, 42.5 per cent said they would
continue to learn online only.15 Just to take an obvious example; many of our schools and
colleges have hurriedly adopted the internet application Zoom for the online delivery of
academic material, to close out this academic year. Zoom happened to be the software gaining
clientele in multinational corporations, that seek to assemble employees from across the world
to meet online in synchronous time. Its default use in education reflects the fact that corporate
practices, rather than sound pedagogy, have sway in our classrooms. No doubt, cost was the
determining factor. But countless other apps could have ushered in a very different pedagogical
style from the one practised today in face to face learning/teaching across the country. Had the
Ministry of Human Resource Development made a timely recommendation on what kind of
online learning app would be most appropriate for different age groups of students, it could
have been a blessing in disguise.16
Well-prepared video lessons: Today well-prepared video lessons are available on every
subject. Instead of going for coaching classes, the children may opt for these video lessons
which can be downloaded and viewed any number of times. They have covered the syllabus of
CBSE, ICSE and 20 State Board syllabus and include 700+ courses and have over 40,000 hours of
lessons. They also have assignments, topic-wise online tests and preparation for exams.
What will be the learning outcome of online education?
This generation of students will face many trials and experiments, and they will probably be the
catalysts for many breakthroughs in education for the years to come.
14
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373724
https://indianexpress.com/article/education/more-than-one-third-of-students-to-continue-learningonline-post-lockdown-survey-6463705/
16
https://thewire.in/education/the-pandemic-as-an-opportunity-to-educate-on-what-it-means-to-be-acitizen
15
Parents want zero COVID case before reopening: According to a survey by Local Circles, only
12 per cent of parents think social distancing is possible in schools. According to this survey,
published in June, 73% of the parents do not want schools to reopen unless their states, districts
and the country report zero COVID cases for 21 days.17 While the possibility of retaining online
education remains for the coming few months at least, it may set a tone for a new way of
educating. The schools will have to take cognisance of the mindset of both students and parents
in reopening the schools.
How can we change the way we educate?
•
•
•
Game-based learning has better benefits: "Boredom can kill a learner's interest;
they need motivation to carry on," says Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO of Next Education
India "Gamification takes away the stress that is so typical of a classroom. Positive
learning memories help retains concepts better," he adds.18
•
Promote research: The teachers and the parents can help the children to develop a
research mindset. Starting with topics in which they can gather material from the
internet, the students can avail the opportunity to do the project which emphasise on
creativity, research and skills.
Promote the opening of the mind, not sharpening. Our children are restricted to
think within the syllabus. COVID has offered the time to help children to open their
minds and explore their immediate environment. The children must experience the joy of
learning.
Time to reduce the syllabus: The NCERT has offered alternative syllabus which we have
shared with you earlier. COVID also has taught us that life goes on even without exams.
Why make the life of the student to be centred around obtaining better grades? It is
time to prune the syllabus and alter the mode of assessment. Make exams more practical
and teach in a structured manner. When the students clearly understand the basics, the
student's interest will increase.
Include yoga and other physical activities: The virtual classes need not be only for
academic purposes, but rather it can also be for improving the mental health of the
•
•
•
17
Help the children to be multi-faceted: During this COVID days, many people have
begun to think creatively about earning to sustain the family. Mere bookish knowledge
will not help the students to face the insurmountable challenges he has to face in the
future. Teachers and parents need to spend time to understand the aptitude of their
children.
Make the online tests, assignment and exams more meaningful: Instead of paying
attention to only testing their memory, this is the time to test their understanding. A
well=prepared online assessment can ensure the students have understood the various
concepts.
https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/learning/tips-parents-online-learning-kids-6472108/
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/game-based-learning-358375-2016-1217
18
students. Yoga and other group dynamics will help the children to develop their eating
and sleeping disorders and to excel in interpersonal and social skills.
• Personal and Group Counselling: Counselling must be mandatory for students and
sometimes for parents too. During this COVID, many students have developed fear,
anxiety and disorders. The Counsellor can meet each class online, and counsellors can be
made available by the school to offer personal counselling to students.
• Discover the child's strength and developmental needs: As Achin Bhattacharyya,
Founder & CEO of Notebook says, "The job of a good teacher is to curate that
experience and ensure that focus is on the right portions. Whether it's classroom or
online, the basics of education will never change. Most digital content is edited sharply
and gives your child a rapid grip in terms of covering the topic from a macro perspective.
Online platforms allow children to practice in a faceless environment wherein no one
judges them. It's wonderful to compete only with yourself and trying to improve each
day. In the process, by working closely with your child, you will discover his or her
strengths and developmental needs which you can jointly work on."19
We need to evaluate the way we educate during COVID days! This COVID has taught us that
the students were more in charge of their learning, and it will be critical to evaluate the learning
outcome of the children after the pandemic. As educators, we have learnt that during the
lockdown days, the school had to work doubly hard to engage the students. It is essential to
understand that patience is particularly important to help children understand the concept
clearly. Creative online assignments through google forms or open book will help them to
assess the learning outcome. Engaging the students positively throughout the day is essential.
What can the Government do? For countries like India, this is an excellent opportunity to
strengthen the internet connectivity across rural India. Every village and towns in India should
digitally connect for better interaction between the students and teachers. India should establish
an indigenous infrastructure for online education like some of the advanced countries. The most
significant advantage of such a system is that learning can become global. Advanced institutes
like IITs and NITs can globalise online culture while Universities, initially, nationalise online
education. Fundamental structural changes should be made in the curriculum/syllabi, and
programmes should be popularised to attract students across the countries.20 According to Dr
Francisco Marmolejo, advisor to Qatar Foundation in India, during his webinar, held by the Jio
International Institute, India, higher education should be re-designed. It should be flexible, more
innovative, more international but more locally connected and socially responsible, more
collaborative and less risk averse.21
To conclude: "Education listens, or it doesn't educate," Pope Francis said to young people from
170 cities on this World Environmental Day. "If you do not listen, you don't educate. Education
19
https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/learning/tips-parents-online-learning-kids-6472108/
20
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/dornadula-c/post-covid-19-education-system/
21
Ibid.
creates culture, or it does not educate. Education teaches us to celebrate, or it doesn't
educate."22Post-COVID 19 is indeed an excellent opportunity to reform our education system.
While we do not know what lies ahead for millions of young people, we can prepare our young
people to face the future. The Church today has a huge responsibility in developing the
curriculum design; suitable Indian pedagogy; motivating and training the teachers and evolving
an appropriate skill development programme for our young people. We need to be the changemakers! We must usher in new life into our educational system!
________________________
Fr/Dr. Maria Charles SDB
Secretary
CBCI Office for Education and Culture, New Delhi
cbcieducation@gmail.com
Ph: +91 9968747667
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2020/06/pope-stresses-link-between-education-ecologyfor-world-environment-day/
22