Covid-19 or Corona pandemic has created a pandemonium all over the globe. Everyone from young to old is gripped with fear and anxiety. We all are going through turmoil whether we will survive or perish due to this deadly disease. It is a trying time for school goers to college-goers as their studies, exams and future plans have been disrupted. Since students were missing out on studies and are unable to start their session on time, the government has swung into action. They have decided to help them tide this difficult period via E-Learning or virtual learning.
We may have entered the digital age but there was hardly any change in our education system. The education system is neither skill-oriented nor knowledge oriented. It is all about rote learning. Our education system can’t match up with countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore or Finland who have the best education system. The reason being the early incorporation of technology in their system. This has broadened the horizon of their students. Their idea is conceptual learning over traditional learning methods.
This sudden paradigm shift to e-learning may be a good sign for our education system but is our country prepared for this breakthrough? The e-learning classroom concept is new for both students and teachers in India. Teachers aren’t familiar with the tools of technology and students aren’t used to being taught through virtual teaching. Schools are using Zoom, Microsoft Teams & Google Hangouts to teach the students. Teachers are unable to discipline students virtually or instilling e-classroom etiquette. Students, parents, and teachers are all confused as to how discipline must be enforced and classes go on smoothly. There are internet connectivity problems and audios & videos are not in sync. Teachers are using worksheets, video lectures & assignments to teach students.
Some institutions are uploading their study material on YouTube and then sharing with students, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is using the help of their Swayam Prabha Portal having lectures on both DTH & online, some states are taking the help of Doordarshan to help students where net accessibility is difficult.
There is trial and error going on with e-learning due to technical glitches, skeletal student attendance, every student doesn’t have a laptop or a smartphone and concentration levels of students with e-learning is not too good.
These are a few teething problems that both teachers and students are experiencing. Teachers have been caught off guard due to Corona so they aren’t well versed with this learning. Whiteboards, Skype and live web chats can be used to clear student’s doubts. Education apps too can be handy for teaching.
Schools, students, teachers, and parents may find it difficult to adapt from on-campus to online learning but this would be a blessing in disguise for students in the long run. Being digitally sound they would be able to chalk out a better future for themselves.
It is said ‘Life is a journey of Learning & Adapting.’
Dr. PREETI TALWAR
