Rev Fr C Joseph, Counsellor
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous) Jakhama
The pandemic has forced the teaching and learning process to migrate to the digital mode, thereby impacting the education system to face an upheaval like never before. For most teachers and students, shifting to online classes was rather new and sudden. This has posed several challenges to teachers and students. Some students have taken to digital learning with ease and comfort like fish swimming in the water. But for many, it has been a long struggle, stress and strain because of many factors. Online classes have both bright dimensions as well as dark shades. Schools that are able to provide online classes along with co-scholastic activities and regular peer to-peer interaction have seen better mental health situation among students. For others, it has become monotonous, and this has led to a rise in anxiety and hyperactivity among children. In traditional education, students have a limited syllabus, whereas in online learning students have a vast choice of the syllabus. Through online classes, students can learn more things outside of their syllabus, which become very useful for their future. Digital platforms provide unlimited paths with a wide range of choices. Students can study anything they want to learn at any level. From learning a new language to building a website, students can learn each and everything from online classes. Online learning saves the time and money of travelling. It also offers a flexible schedule that permits students to study at their own convenience. Students can gain knowledge by watching the videos of any subjects at any time. The other side of online learning is that children are inevitably spending more time in front of a screen. The exposure to blue light from the screen can put heavy strain on their eyes, causing itching, dryness and burning sensations. Medical experts recommend the 20-20-20 formula, which involves a 20 second screen break, every 20 minutes. Poor posture such as slouching at a desk for long periods puts pressure on the back muscles and ligaments triggering neck aches, back pain and headaches. Some children may be lacking the motivation to learn, as they don’t have any of the social interaction or live engagement that they usually get in a school environment. Add to this the complex interplay of reduced instruction time, lack of direct context and contact between students and teachers, and other myriad challenges with online learning. The cumulative effect of all this is a learning gap between what students would have typically learned and what they have actually learned. One must remember online learning is possible where the internet services are robust. Online education is still a dream in villages where internet services are poor. The poor have neither access to proper internet services nor computers to follow online classes. Infrastructural facilities such as computer with internet are expensive, and even mobile phone costs Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000. Out of 1.6 million schools across the country, not even 10 percent can afford this. So, what we must understand and accept is that it might work for only a small percentage of elite institutions and communities.
