I am worried about my child’s future. Parents want their kids to be independent when they grow up. Some middle and poor income families may not afford to use the expensive gadgets for their wards to attend the online lessons. The worldwide spread of Covid-19 led to the complete shutdown of educational institutions.
The families with poor incomes, vulnerable groups, are affected by this disruption to educate their wards. This may cause long-term impacts for the majority of the population, affecting the growth opportunity in the future.
Does not understand what is being done
The urban and rural areas affected the children, parents, and even the teachers. It hindered the comprehension of the documents and videos sent via phones but doubted clarification was unsatisfactory. Some students do not get what is taught.
Parents struggle to teach their wards at home. Medium of instruction isn’t fully helpful to comprehend the subject. It is a challenge for the students, teachers and, more importantly, the illiterate parents who find it hard to teach their children by themselves.
The mandatory work is being sent daily. With the current online work scenario, I feel sad to say that education is heavily affected by the lag of teaching in the schools. A global survey by the education department shows that the children were unable to access digital learning. Teachers were frustrated, thus leading to some children helping their fathers and brothers with their work outside or at home, helping to cope with the best options.
Hampering physical and social growth
Running in the playgrounds is missed, hindering the physical activity of the child and the developmental skills. The food rations instead of mid-day meals are provided to the families enrolled with the government. Many low-income families suffered this loss. Children miss the camaraderie. The connections and bonds are diminished with a lack of communication.
Confusion without clarity
Some schools are unable to retain their teachers as parents stop paying the fees. Enrolments were disturbed. School faculty was unclear regarding the opening of the schools and enrolling the students currently. Parents who want schools to re-open at the earliest possible are mostly those who need to go to work and cannot teach or look after their children during working hours. The reluctance to send children to school comes from parents who can teach them at home.
Third-wave fear
Some kids love going to school and do not want to stay at home, excited to wear uniforms, use new stationaries and see their class-fellows. But the fear of the third wave is intervening with the re-opening of the institutions.
The reluctance to send children to school comes from those parents who can teach their wards at home. Administrators of schools are trying their best to convince the governments by following proper protocols and running in shifts with fewer students following safety measures.
Jashan Jot Kaur is a researcher at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
