The Educational Crisis of 2021 in India

Educational Crisis of 2021 in India. A year ago, the world took an enormous hit with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Amongst the many things, the education system all over the world took a tremendous fall. For a developing country like India, the closing of educational institutes has not only affected the legibility of education but will also affect its future economic opportunities.

India is a highly populated country with the second-largest schooling system in the world. Over 40% of India’s population consists of children. Despite India’s strategies to provide free education to underprivileged children, many drop out before they can complete their schooling. The pandemic has only made this situation worse.

Ever since the educational institutes closed down, the era of e-learning began. The institutions resorted to online streaming platforms like zoom and Google meet to connect with the students to ensure their safety and education. But how reliable is online education? The concept of e-learning was foreign in India until about a year ago and is still not fully adjusted to the new style of teaching and learning. The main drawback of online education is the lack of practical skills and experience it offers. While it may not be as hard for an adult pursuing their graduate studies to adjust to the new normal of e-learning, it is harder for a child. At a time when children need as much social and tangible experience, they are unable to

E-learning has posed a great deal of difficulty to underprivileged children due to their lack of accessibility and understanding of Smart technology. A 2017-18 survey done by the Ministry of Rural Development showed that only 47% of the total Indian households receive electricity for more than 12 hours. The lack of electricity makes it impossible for them to use Smart technology efficiently. Furthermore, the cost of internet connection for daily classes has added more expense to the underprivileged families among the financial crisis caused by the pandemic.

Although e-learning may pose a challenge to every student, it ensures the safety of everybody and is the next best thing to offline learning. Despite the disadvantages, there are some benefits to virtual learning. E-learning opens the educational sector to a vast platform and progresses us to a digitalised world. However, the Government of India bringing in more strategies to make the accessibility of virtual platforms and Smart technology available to everyone will ensure educational equality of the present.

Author: Jessica Sam
Information credits: weforum.org
Image credits: newslaundry.com