Progressive Learning

Education should be made accessible and inexpensive to everybody, whether it is delivered online or in actual classrooms.

In this epidemic period, most school-aged children face several challenges. While the wealthy have access to tools such as the Internet, smartphones, and their own rooms, many others lack the space, time, and financial means to further their education. Paying school fees has become a difficulty as a result of people losing their employment. The youngster, too, struggles to understand what is taught in online classes, and a lack of physical movement has resulted in restlessness, anxiety, and melancholy.

Due to a lack of access to the Internet and gadgets, online programmes do not appear to benefit students from lower-income households in the same way that they do for children from higher-income homes. Myths of Online Educations, a research by Azim Premji University, reveals that there is a lack of emotional connection and personal attention. The online teaching-learning technique may operate for individuals who are clever and capable of self-study. Is it possible, however, to rely only on a digital classroom connection between professors and students? I don't believe so.

Allow me to give you an example. For failing two years in a row, a student was expelled. But, when the child failed the first time, what did the school undertake to guarantee that some remedial action was taken? What went wrong that caused the failure? It is the failure of the instructor, the administration, or the board when we do not make an effort to find out or do some sort of course correction. In this example, the parents hailed from a low-income family and accepted the child's fate. Efforts to employ teaching tools such as the radio and to ensure that instructors visit remote schools or homes provide some optimism today.

Modern education should consist of a mix of ideals and skills that are not only taught but actively practised. We make a huge deal out of a few great wins, but what about the vast majority of people who are probably just as bright? What happens to top-tier institute failures? Is anyone going to back them up until there's a big fuss? Our educational institutions should strive to provide equitable assistance to all of its students, not only the highest performers. The attention should move away from the top performers and toward those who are struggling. As a majority of our country's population falls into this stratum, this is the sector that may spark a revolution. We should be thinking about how we might help them.

It's time to create an internship programme or a shared services centre where all sorts of talent may be nurtured. In the open expanses of rural India, for example, it is feasible to preserve physical distance by setting up an on-site model with an open-air gym for physical activity, games, nutritious food, storytelling, and other activities to provide children with a combination of learning and pleasure.

Today, in the midst of the epidemic, the wealthy are concerned that their children may lose out on the excitement of university life. A less fortunate individual, on the other hand, is anxious that non-payment of tuition would result in their child's education being interrupted. Isn't it past time to abolish such barriers and make education more accessible and cheap to all?