Challenges of Education system in Pandemic
The sudden shutdown has affected the country in every possible way. One of the sectors that have been affected adversely is education sector. This sector has been reeling in absence of one uniform policy across the country. It has also exposed the varied systems prevalent across the country. At juncture of unlock down a lot of talk has been done about the medical facilities, spread and placement of human resources across the country. Also, the Prime Minister of India has urged India to be 'Atamnirbhar' at this moment of crisis. But the question arises how? With future of Lakhs of student hanging in middle with no solid guideline from ministry of HRD regarding implementation of exams, trainings or imparting degree, the decision is left on boards and universities. The students whose semesters were getting completed in Engineering and Management schools were roaming helplessly for training. Not much help was extended from educational institutions. We hear different states and universities are implementing their ideas locally or a rumour is doing rounds regarding examination dates and cancellation of exams. Like, the IIT's we heard are promoting their students on basis of internal examinations, Delhi University is organizing online exams with open book, Telegana and Maharashtra Governments cancelling the exams and promoting students and allotting degree to students of final year without exams, some universities and boards conducting its examination in middle of Covid-19 pandemic risking lives of students is indication of how poorly our education system is managed and how much discreetness is there in our educational system across the country.
We need to understand that in a country where we talk about the uniform law before across the country,we need to have a uniform education system.The question is what does it reflects. India boasts of its Information Technology professionals across the world and helping businesses by implementing the ideas in form of software solutions to their problems but on the contrary our own system is marred by a poorly implemented IT infrastructure in universities, colleges and schools of the country.
There is no Risk Management planning in Universities and Education boards for calamity and extraordinary times like this. Lack of pro activeness on part of educationists everyone is waiting for other to respond, the period of lock down should have been used to assess and counter the challenges ahead. Lack of properly trained staff and faculty members to deal with such situations. There is no regular internal system of evaluation in colleges and university in three year degree courses except for few. The professional bodies also have not shown much interest in addressing risk management with Universities and other educational bodies across the countries. During the period of lock down the policies for risk management need to be made and implemented which wasn't done, the period was more treated as holiday.
How has this affected student?
The lock down was unprecedented where on one hand it provided students with more time to prepare for left out subjects and topics, it also affected their mental health as they were confined to homes and a state of uncertainty loomed over their future movements. Almost after a month of opening of lock down there has been no clarity how the students will be protected from getting affected with Covid-19 in case of exams being conducted, how students will come from far flung areas to city, how will they dwell here, their security is still in list of unanswered questions. Since there is large no. of courses and exams that needs to be conducted by the Universities,the students are anxious to know when their exams will be conducted no definite reply has been given by universities and colleges so far.
Will students be getting ample time to study subjects of next year? How will classes be conducted? Usually when courses are not completed in normal academic year, how will we expect that in the pandemic the courses will not be completed in colleges next year?The duration of pandemic is uncertain and undecided if pandemic exists how will exams be conducted next year?
What can be done?
As Central Board of Secondary education has done there should be increase in no. of centers especially in areas from where students are coming so that they don’t have to travel much in these troubled times. Earliest possible date of examinations so that ample of time can be given to students where exam dates are going beyond reasonable period to be conducted an option should be given to students to give exam within period of one year as per their convenience on specific centers. Change in pattern of examination, it should be online examination so that students staying in remote areas and those fearing to go out can be benefited. For new session regular internal examination in colleges for the evaluation purposes. School and Colleges should upgrade their libraries to online gradually. The faculties should think of innovative ways to teach and interact with students using IT. Infrastructure upgrade and training for online classes should be provided to faculties so that they can give in their best.
To be ‘Atamnirbhar’ we need to make our education system full proof which can consistently provide well read and well trained man power for development of country. The time has come where we should understand and consider education sector as backbone for all other sectors and give a serious thought on this. We should employ new methods and technologies to make it better. We can take cue from MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) and use the methodologies in our regular degrees and make it more easily accessible and keep its reach widespread.
The expectation of youths in terms of education policy can be summed up with quote of Lord Macaulay –"Our principle is simply to ensure uniformity where you can have it, diversity where you must have it, but in all cases certainty.”