COVID-19 Impact on Education :56% Negative Impact

 COVID-19 Impact on Education :56% Negative Impact

The novel coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of all Indian school & colleges along with universities. Administrators, educators, parents and students all across the country are facing the challenge of finding a way for various improvements in our education system and conducting the different methods of entrance exams .

56% of parents worry COVID-19 will affect their child’s education and it’s system of examinations. The unprecedented situation has left many parents apprehensive about the negative impact on children’s education by coaching institutions and special reference with the way the government of U.P. has taken out their students from coaching centers of Kota , Rajasthan during lockdown- period on April 18,2020.

In this time of crisis a well rounded and effective practice is what is needed for the capacity- building of young- minds. Now the education system should be such that it develop skills that will drive their self-employability, productivity; health and well–being in the decades to come and ensure the overall progress of India , as our P.M. has stressed from  time to time. Indian traditional knowledge is well known across the globe for scientific innovations values and benefits to develop sustainable technologies and Ayurveda’s medicines along with yoga and Naturopathy.

Now the education should build the capacity of Self- Employability – for our progress and the aim of education is overall development of a personality through academic and co- curricular activities in the schools and colleges .Exams should only be an integral part of it. Never the less , due to 'coaching culture this concept has been zero'ed and relegated.

A seven year old child understands cartoons and video games but is not able to play cricket, football or basketball and tennis. These coaching institutions are business centres and have nothing to do with students once they are out of their classes. They deal with academics without any responsibility and  have nothing to do with teaching manners, discipline and ways of life that are essential for character formation.

Our education system should be reemodeled according to Delhi Government revised Model of Education in our schools and colleges,where there is no place for coaching culture .But a place to teach students “How to make a life but not living.”

However these days the flood of coaching classes in every nook and corner has put a question mark on the importance of temples of learning. The streets of any city of India remind me of a stroll I took in Goa…..every tenth shop was a Liquor shop; here in each and every city of India “Every tenth shop is a coaching institute .” Government should come into action now, अभी नहीं  तो कभी नहीं 

A recent order of honorable Supreme Court of India stated that entrance to medical and engineering colleges in India should not be taken  as just an entrance exams score , and weightage should be given to school exams as well ( class 10 & 12 exam score ).  SC order also stated via MHRD , that the central government should come with a body to  regulate the private coaching institutes.

Government should ban the coaching institutes - coaching the young student ( 9,10,11&12 class )
who's life should be to play in the ground and not in the coaching classes. However , corona virus has altered life for us all including our school system, examination system, competitive examination system and methods. As such India's LEARNING CRISIS is huge and this will have larger impact on the overall education system.

India has nearly 300 million kids in 1.4 million school and 51,000 colleges . There is a common understanding that while a nation wide lockdown is good in limiting the spread of corona, but it has it's impact not just on business and common people but also on education, its system of examination of entrance and pressure of coaching classes.

"At present in India , every house is school and every parent is a teacher"-Dr. Ram Bajaj

The Indian education system has many problems and solution must be thought of and implemented to bring about a more balanced education for  students, with more focus on extra - curricular activities, regular games and physical health programmes. However once the focus shifts to bring about the best learning experience for the student, a lot more positive changes can be brought about . SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS, probability  based survey conducted between April 10 - 15, that 56% of parents worry COVID - 19 will affect their child's education and has a negative impact, but 33% say that the impact will be moderate , but they are still concerned. However the balance 11% parents say that they are not at all concerned. So the over all impact of parent's concerns are serious in nature.

Link To My Blog : https://inforambajaj.blogspot.com/

NOTE: We are in a position to frame out the detailed draft plan to change our education system and move from teacher centric education to student centric education. Learning has always been in school or college class room not in coaching culture.

About Writer
Dr. Ram Bajaj
Engineer ( BITS PILANI )
Scientist
Agriculturist
Economist
Email: info@rambajaj.com