How Corona Virus Has Changed the Education Sector Around the Globe
Educators, teachers, and parents around the globe are no doubt dealing with the ripple effect of the Covid-19.
This public health emergency has definitely had the world reeling with uncertainty. And schools were among the first casualties of this pandemic. And reasonably so.
As governments and health officials scamper to get a grip on the health end of things, educators are also taking a stab at adjusting systems to ensure that some learning is going on.
Here are some of the changes.
School Closure
This was among the first decisions to be taken by most countries, whether it was a complete or localized closure. Some countries like the UK delayed the measure at first before going into a complete nationwide shutdown later on.
While school closures following a crisis, health-related, or otherwise are not uncommon, the universal scale of the current school closure is indeed unparalleled.
Increased Parent-Teacher Interactions
Even as schools have shut down, educators and governments around the world are keen on ensuring some level of continuity as the school closure is indefinite for most countries.
For this to happen efficiently, schools and parents have had to increase their engagement to provide support and guidance.
While teachers can send assignments and hold online sessions, parents are a useful piece of the puzzle to ensure kids are available and follow through with their course work, more for younger kids.
Heavy Internet Reliance
While the internet has taken center stage in learning processes in the last couple of years, its use is more pronounced now more than ever.
Cyberspace has been awash with images of the steps different educators are taking around the globe, from lectures to facilitating class discussions online.
For tertiary educators, this has been much easier as assignments and course readings can be communicated via email and other online communication channels.
Educators are also able to suggest online learning tools that support individual study for students of all levels.
Online Learning Gets Its Moment
If there is one education sector that has experienced minimal disruption, online learning is it. Indeed, institutions that offer online and /or distance learning are having their moment.
The lessons from this will likely go beyond the pandemic.
The online education space will likely be revamped in the same way that remote working will be.
As traditional schools now rush to get online education up and running for students at home, students enrolled in full-time online programs will hardly notice the furor.
Students in this education model are still accessing there coursework and support as has become the norm for them. If you are in this group, rest assured that help is within reach as it always is.
A common question from students across the globe is: can I someone to do my literature homework during this time? Rest assured that credible tutors are on hand to help.
The Debate on the Digital Divide is Back on
While some countries have been able to adopt online learning seamlessly, many, more so, outside the developed world have faced significant inequality over the same.
Take China, for example, with 57% of its population having internet access. This leaves out 43% of the population. Students in this population are more disadvantaged than their peers during this pandemic.
The situation is worse in some parts of the world.
The digital divide shows up in wealthy countries as well. Take, for example, a teacher from a well-funded district school in America and another one from a poorer community.
The learning resources, home structures, broadband, and so on quickly reveal the digital divide at work.
Moving Forward
While it’s not easy to make predictions just yet, one this is clear: governments and educators will likely think through some of these emergent issues.
The goal of this will be to re-evaluate some of the existing processes, find better systems and methods of running educational processes, and how to cushion the education system against such disturbances in the future.