The
COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world in ways that we are only just beginning
to understand, and many of those changes seem likely to continue for a long
time to come. At no time in our history have human beings been as
technologically advanced as we are today, nor more helpless in the face of this
illness which spreads like wildfire and appears invincible.
Like so
many others, the school sector is also re-examining long held beliefs and
existing systems. The more fortunate and better provisioned schools are in the
position of being able to move many of their teaching and learning activities
online, using a variety of tools such as video conferencing, social media, and
the internet, but such schools in our country represent a microscopic minority.
The reality for those who attend other schools is often inadequate
infrastructure, missing teachers, an incomplete education, and an inability of
the system to adapt to even routine changes.
Several
commentators have in recent days extolled the benefits of educational
technology, including various online platforms, video classes, and the like,
but their focus is clearly the privately managed, fee-charging schools beloved
of the middle class. Even in these schools however, bandwidth limitations and
equipment failures are likely to pose a challenge to uninterrupted delivery,
while the efficacy of education in this form for younger children is yet to be
established. It is also safe to say that such facilities are unlikely to be
available to children who attend government schools, or even those who attend
low-cost budget private schools, which provide an essential service to so many
despite multiple regulatory hurdles.
Many state
governments, such as Himachal Pradesh, have announced that they would record
lessons on video and send them out to children in state schools using WhatsApp.
Most of the methods under discussion however, seem to require internet-based
solutions, which would at least call for the use of a smartphone. The reality
is that too many children in our country have access to neither. Even if a few
were able to make use of such lessons, there is no clarity if and how they
would address those with special needs, such as children with visual or aural
disabilities.
A
significant challenge to any form of remote learning is the fact that too few
children have learning support at home, since many may be first generation
learners. The fallout of the ongoing pandemic has thus the potential to widen
the already existing learning gap between educationally and socio-economically
advantaged and disadvantaged students and communities. Those who were already
marginalised run the risk of being further discriminated against, with gender,
poverty, digital, and disability gaps set to grow exponentially. Additionally,
a continued lockdown with a focus on remote learning raises questions of safety
for many, given the risk of increasing frustration among adults at home and possible
domestic violence.
The Right
of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, places on the
government the responsibility for ensuring that all children receive elementary
education as a matter of right. Over the last 20-25 years, the government has
invested, among other things, in school infrastructure, teachers, professional
development, curricular reform, and management improvements. But all of these
were predicated on children physically attending a class, with a teacher to
support them; suddenly, everything has changed. Our new circumstances do not
dilute the responsibility of government to ensure the education of all
children, but with schools shut and social distancing norms in place, new ways
of reaching students will need to be found.
One
immediate solution is the redeployment of mass media channels to carry age and
grade appropriate lessons in a structured manner, something that India has substantial
experience of earlier. Both Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) have been
used for widespread dissemination of social messaging and learning, including
for the National Literacy Mission. The use of television for education in India
peaked between 2004-2010, when we were one of the few countries in the world to
have a satellite (EduSat) dedicated exclusively to broadcasting educational TV content
for students.
While
Doordarshan reaches most parts of the country, the penetration of radio to the
remotest areas in India has few equals anywhere in the world. The use of radio
for education, particularly at times of crisis, is well known globally. International
agencies and national governments have run radio-based education programmes in
countries affected by crises all over the world, as for instance in Chad in
2017 when school education was impacted by Boko Haram terrorism. In India, we
have a long history of learning programmes delivered by radio, by government as
well as NGOs; one of the earliest examples was the school broadcast project of
AIR of 1937 that operated in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai. Government
began using radio for literacy programmes in 1956, while IGNOU has used it for
university students since the early nineties.
The Gyan
Vani FM channel, which briefly went off air, was restarted in 2017 and is
currently being used by IGNOU from 8 am to 8 pm daily to provide lessons to
students, who can phone in with any questions they might have. However, Gyan
Vani only reaches a limited number of locations, being an FM channel. What we
need is to explore ways by which the reach of Gyan Vani can be expanded to
cover more parts of the country using the AIR network, providing content that
is relevant to school children as well as those at higher levels. At a time
when physical attendance in school is a challenge, both TV and radio can play a
critical role in ensuring that learning does not suffer.
Some states
and examination boards have announced that they will automatically promote all
students in grades 1 to 8 this year which means that there will be no formal
assessment of learning. Given that there were already concerns around the
relatively low levels of learning in the country despite the many interventions
that have taken place over the years, this step, while unavoidable in the
present circumstances, is likely to have an impact on student progress in
succeeding years. We will have to consider how best to address this situation
in the form of remedial measures when the next academic session begins, as well
as simple methods of quick formative assessment, aimed at supporting the
learning process.
We also need
to start planning for the reality that school education for many children is
likely to be interrupted, at least in the short run, no matter what strategies
are used in the interim. To ensure children do not lose time for no fault of
their own, we might wish to consider accelerated learning programmes, as have
been used successfully in other crisis-hit countries, allowing students to combine
and complete two or possibly three school years in a shorter time frame so that
they can complete the relevant educational stage on time. This will require planning
for associated reviews of the curriculum and its compression, and teacher and
leadership training for implementation.
It is
important though, to remember that these are all short-term solutions. In the long
run, no matter what strategy is adopted, the quality of remote learning can never
compare well with regular schooling. Some skills, like teamwork and character building,
can only take place when there is an opportunity to work in collaboration with
other students and teachers in a physical school setting. Most importantly,
schools remain institutions of socialisation for the young, something that
cannot be imparted remotely through radio or TV programmes. Unless we wish to
see a very different society in future, we will need to find ways to make
schools functional again.
This pandemic is in many ways an opportunity to reimagine how school education is delivered, not only in India, but also worldwide. Even after the lockdown restrictions are lifted, it seems likely that the nature of teaching and learning will change significantly. How we handle these changes over the next few months, and how we creatively find solutions to allow schools to reopen, will determine the future we leave to our children.
