IMPACT OF COVID ON EDUCATION AND EXAMES

Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic has affected various sectors worldwide. One of the most affected
institution by COVID are educational institutions which leads near total closure of schools, colleges and
universities. Closure of educational institutions does not only have an impact on students, teachers and
families but also have economic and social consequences. The closure of educational institutions in
response to the pandemic have shed light to various socio-economic issues such as homelessness,
inefficient digital learning, student debt and food insecurity. The impact is more severe on especially
abled children and their families because it causes interrupted learning, childcare problems, compromised
nutrition and burden of economic cost to the families who could not work.

The structure of schooling and learning are immensely affected by the closure as only a handful of private
schools and colleges could adopt online teaching methods. The low income government as well private
schools has completely shut down as they don’t have an access to e-learning. The students in addition has
missed a lot of opportunities for learning and are subject to social and economic stress.

Moreover the bigger concerns are the effect of this pandemic on the employment rate. The graduates in
India are fearing withdrawal of job offers from corporates because of current scenario. It is expected that
the unemployment rate will shoot up to 30% to 8.4% in March. This pandemic has transformed the
traditional method of chalk talk teaching to the one driven by technologies.

A strategy is necessary to manage this crisis and built a resilient economic system in long run. Immediate
measures should be taken across the country to ensure continuity of learning in government schools and
universities. Open-source digital learning solutions and Learning Management Software should be
adopted so teachers can conduct teaching online. Inclusive learning solutions, especially for the most
vulnerable and marginalized, need to be developed. With a rapid increase of mobile internet users in
India, which is expected to reach 85% households by 2024, technology is enabling ubiquitous access and
personalization of education even in the remotest parts of the country. This can change the schooling
system and increase the effectiveness of learning and teaching, giving students and teachers multiple
options to choose from. Many aspirational districts have initiated innovative, mobile-based learning
models for effective delivery of education, which can be adopted by others. Indian traditional knowledge
is well known across the globe for its scientific innovations, values, and benefits to develop sustainable
technologies and medicines. The courses on Indian traditional knowledge systems in the fields of yoga,
Indian medicines, architecture, hydraulics, ethno botany, metallurgy and agriculture should be integrated
with a present-day mainstream university education to serve the larger cause of humanity.
In this time of crisis, a well-rounded and effective educational practice is what is needed for the capacity-
building of young minds. It will develop skills that will drive their employability, productivity, health,
and well-being in the decades to come, and ensure the overall progress of India.