How will rise in COVID cases impact education sector this year?

The recent spurt in Covid-19 cases has raised concerns about the offline functionalisation of schools. The surge in coronavirus infections is alarming but won’t have unfavourable ramifications like shambolic switches to online learning and virtual classroom teaching, as was the case in the first or second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Anshu Mital, MRG School, Rohini in an interview with Republic World. 

As the COVID cases are rising, what measures should be taken by schools?

The education sector was pretty much in Omnishambles back then, but now situations are under control due to the widespread vaccination campaigns and strong immune systems built through those times. However, as India has faced two destructive pandemic waves, people should not take the upswing in Covid cases lightly and wear masks, follow social distancing protocols, and not wait for government directives to act responsibly.

Does online school system has a future in India?

The education sector is in flux. There were times when education thinkers had preempted the erosion of traditional schooling and its subsequent replacement with digital education culture. However, as soon as the pandemic effects subsided, tables turned, and offline schools reopened and gained momentum while online education platforms were facing economic stagnation and funding winter.

The last two years have been one of the most challenging periods for the education sector but also critical in some respects. It reinstilled people’s faith in the one-on-one interactive sessions between students and teachers as it promotes clarity and accurate understanding. There is a profound realisation that students might or might not be able to gauge complex topics sitting behind their laptops or computer screens. Classroom teaching promotes value-based learning and accountability, whereas virtual schools imbue students with complacency.

How was the response to the resumption of offline classes after pandemic?

The response to the resumption of offline classes has been so overwhelming that despite the rise in Covid-19 cases, education experts proclaim with certitude that it will not have a bad impact on offline schools. There is no reason for disconcertion among schools.

The education sector has undergone a transformation in recent years. There is a great degree of open-mindedness that has been adopted in schools. Infact, various facets of digital learning have also been incorporated in schools to augment students’ understanding bandwidth.  Moreover, the surge in coronavirus cases will not bring a stalemate in the education sector. But caution must be exercised to reduce its spread as far as possible.

Each pandemic wave had a story to tell. Experts are of the opinion that rapid immunisations and booster shots campaigns have contributed significantly to strengthening India’s fight against coronavirus. They have dispelled public fears of a probable fourth and fifth wave of the virus. The operational sectors have broadly emerged from the ravaging effects of the pandemic and regained their pace and hold over markets. The education sector’s progress was visibly the same. Infact, intellectual think tanks and punditocracy have also said that the Indian economy has shown brilliant resilience against economic headwinds like inflation, stagflation etc. It will most certainly not be downgraded by the rise in Covid cases