After the pandemic: shaping a new roadmap

There’s no indication yet that a committee will assess the different types of adverse impacts the pandemic has made on institutions, parents and children. Such an inquiry must constitute the first step to shape a roadmap. – Krishna Kumar To say that post-Covid problems in education present an opportunity to reform the system is to beguile oneself. Calamities demand coping first, and our education establishment did not do well in coping with the pandemic. Shutting down schools, colleges and universities for long, indefinite periods is hardly an example of coping well. It demonstrated cluelessness together with indifference to children and youth. In the case of universities, there has also been an element of relief, that if students remain at home, campuses will be peaceful. A blanket shut-down policy also revealed how centralised the system is. This isn’t news, of course, but it reminds us not to relent on the goal of decentralisation. It calls for trust in decision-taking at the local and/or institutional level. Movement in that direction will be a positive outcome of the pandemic. The policy on reopening school campuses followed a ham-fisted line: all-or-nothing. An almost permanent closure of schools and colleges from March 2020 onward provided a justifiable veneer for promoting online teaching at all levels. Edtech companies took over, and the state chose to lose sight of the plight in which millions of poorer children found themselves. Their parents couldn’t afford a necessary device like a laptop to receive online lessons. In fact, many state governments distributed smart phones as if they are substitutes for computers. The absence of reliable connectivity was also ignored. Education equality, thus ceased to be a policy goal. Its pursuit was already weak, given the vast gap among different exam boards and institutions. To make matters worse, an unknown number of low-fees levying private schools closed down. Attempts to persuade government to provide them financial relief failed to get a response in the recently announced Union Budget 2022-23. A similar silence prevails over enhanced resources for government schools that have accommodated children from closed down private schools. There’s no indication yet that a committee will assess the different types of adverse impacts the pandemic has made on institutions, parents and children. Such an inquiry must constitute the first step if we want to shape a roadmap. Several non-government organisations have tried to assess the impact of prolonged schools closure and home confinement on children. Their physical and mental health problems need large-scale studies. The learning loss they have suffered also needs assessment before being addressed. This is a formidable academic task for schools and higher level institutions. Managing this situation is not merely a pedagogic issue; the deeper issue is the restoration of children’s confidence. A comprehensive plan is required to figure out the multiple dimensions of various problems caused by policies adopted during the pandemic. Teachers have passed through a difficult time. Theirs is a weak, low-status profession. During the pandemic, the profession became weaker as teachers experienced further…