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Impact of Covid-19 on learning graph of kids.!!

The impact of Covid-19 lockdown is so overwhelming that even kids fear it is incessant. Every day my daughter prays to God to finish the virus so that she can step out of confinement. The children were not meant to be part of this pandemic but now they are at greater developmental risks affecting both physical and mental growth. Their learning graph is slow-moving in an unconducive environment.UN policy published recently corroborates this fact. According to UN 188 countries have imposed countrywide school closures, affecting more than 1.5 billion children and youth. Parents, schools, policymakers- all are stumped because of the inconceivable situation for which they never rehearsed. The immense challenges hardly provide a quick fix in the contemporary scenario but will put up us in state of readiness for the future. Let us discuss these challenges:
Impact of Covid19 on learning graph of kids.!|Flykiddz.blogspot.com

Impact of Covid-19 on learning

What are the challenges for parents?

  • The routine of kids has gone berserk. There is no designated playtime, study time or leisure time. They get up late, feel bored and off course screen time has increased. In nutshell, there is hardly any structured learning environment at home.
  • Many parents have acknowledged that there is no separation between home time and school time.
  • Parents are constantly engaged with kids along with office work and household chores in the absence of a support system.No doubt the situation is demanding. At the end of the day, there is exasperation.
  • As schools and colleges are shut, every house is a school and every parent is a teacher. It has become the sole responsibility of parents to make children complete their assignments juggling their time between home and office work. 
  • Moreover, the stepping of the online medium has made it mandatory for parents to accompany kids while they watch videos for the risk of exposure to inappropriate content.
  • Toddlers and even junior kids do not find this online system of education interesting because they miss overall fun- school, class, teachers and peers. School-going is not just about learning subjects but it is also social interaction. In such circumstances, it becomes all the more burdensome for parents to push children to complete assignments.
  • Many uneducated parents are facing a tough time in the absence of the e-learning facility. Children do not have internet connectivity or a laptop at home.

Challenges for system and schools

  •  More than two-thirds of countries have introduced a national distance learning platform but among low-income countries, the share is only 30 percent. 
  • While there is an ongoing talk about online classes, it is still limited to a small number of schools. Many schools are still hesitant or do not have adequate resources to provide this facility to students. 
  • Children with disabilities and special needs have been profoundly affected. They require one to one interaction and do not fit in the current distance education scheme.
  • Children living in outskirt settlements or as refugees in camps with limited infrastructure are struggling to survive for basic needs. For them online education is non-viable.
  •  India has nearly 300 million kids in 1.4 million schools and 51,000 colleges. The rural schools are devoid of internet facilities.
  • The quality and accessibility of distance learning may vary greatly both across and within countries. The longer schools are closed the deeper will be the effect of the pandemic on learning essential life skills vital for the growth of kids.
As such learning crisis generated by the impact of Covid-19 is huge on the overall education system. It has opened the door for a series of discussions to devise alternate ways to prepare the young generation for the future. 

The lessons that we have learnt from pandemic:

  • The necessity to work in a globally interconnected world.
  • As students would gain access to knowledge through phones, tablets and computers, the role of educators will change from imparting knowledge in classrooms to work as facilitators beyond classrooms. 
  • In light of changing global scenario, the young minds will have to be tougher and adaptive working on a new set of skills-effective teamwork, harnessing technological tools, unlocking unexplored remote areas of working. According to the World Economic Forum report, 65% of primary school children today will be working in job types that do not exist yet.
  • Diksha platform(knowledge-sharing platform for teachers), with reach across all states in India, can be further strengthened to ensure accessibility of learning to the students.
  • These days smartphones are common in households. Telecommunication companies may play a key role to facilitate downloads of learning material on smartphones, which more students are likely to have. 
  • TV is also a very powerful medium for instructions. It can be used as a tool for learning. Besides, social networks can be used to communicate effectively with parents and teachers to provide guidelines and deliver content to the learning process.
Recently, educational institutions in Karnataka have been banned to conduct online classes for students up to the seventh standard. The reason being that majority of students in rural areas do not have access to the online system. Besides, the screen time exposure is high for students. However, the challenge is to constructively engage kids at home.
A multi-pronged strategy is necessary to manage the crisis. As Ryan Reynolds says "Any kind of crisis can be good. It wakes you up." Educational innovations, though limited in scope and relatively isolated, have started receiving attention because the impact of Covid-19 on learning graph of kids is unthinkable. The pandemic could pave way for cross-industry coalitions around a common educational goal.

Kudos to all kids who are showing patience during the pandemic. Be creative about ways to have fun. Enjoy family time, learn new things from elders, and be positive.

Pour in your suggestions in the comment section to cope with the educational crises in a better way...

STAY HOME STAY SAFE

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