The Corona outbreak has given a serious blow to the world. But life and work must go on and thanks to the technological revolution to support it. Most of the students globally have been able to take immense benefits from the online initiatives by the educational institutions. It is praiseworthy to find some urgent and concrete measures against this pandemic taken up by the organizations for the benefit of the students. But it seems there is one place in this world where it looks more of a stone age today as against the booming Information and Technology age. The place is none other than Jammu & Kashmir.
Internet was first banned in the Union Territory in August 2019 in the wake of abrogation of Article 370. Every section of the society was badly hit by this move. Now Coronavirus has added to the miseries of the society and students in particular have lost their precious time to learn something new. Though the government has restored 2G services but speed and connectivity still remains a major issue. The educational institutions backed by their vibrant teachers are trying harder with their efforts but it is the speed of the internet that is killing their good intentions.
There is a tendency to become casual in this crisis but our students need to be focused and motivated. Our students have to sense greater responsibilities in this crisis. They don’t have to compromise with the learning. In fact they must devote their precious time in productive works as much as possible. But they have a prime responsibility to be safe and help their families as well. Students need to show inquisitiveness towards the online initiatives by their teachers and institutions. They must remain connected with the teachers and their institutions and ask relevant queries about their subjects. This will give a boost to the teachers and institutions to be more effective online and offline.
Students also have a responsibility to stay connected with the friends and engage them in learning. They should not forget poor students who may have lot of difficulties and even don’t possess relevant gadgets and a supporting environment to take benefits of online learning.
Students all over the world are being affected and more and more schools and universities have been forced to close their doors. However, it is also important not to panic and believe in the power of sharing knowledge, now more than ever. Students must try to avoid doing unproductive activities. They can use timetables and to-do lists that will help them structure their day and use their time wisely. They must find some creative works to do that can help them in future. But they must also take breaks, and come back with more energy as summer heat is on the rise.
Amid this big crisis we must remember to stay motivated, focused and continue to keep positive. Our society has never been without the sufferings but our students have braved all the challenges and in fact emerged more strong and determined.
We should take a pledge to help one another and our society to defeat this Coronavirus. The government must take urgent measures to restore the high speed internet service in Jammu & Kashmir. This will allow our students to progress and prosper in learning and development and compete with the students in any part of the world. Jammu & Kashmir is a wonderful and a gifted place and its good future lies in the hands of its assets which are its smart, sober and talented students. There must not be any attempts to keep them away from learning.
– The writer is Assistant Professor, School of Management, ITM University Gwalior, Youth Ambassador, IYS, and a Regular Columnist. He can be reached at- dr.shahidamin15@gmail.com)
