By: ᴊᴀᴡᴀɪᴅ ɪǫʙᴀʟ
Sometime in the second week of March, state governments across the country began shutting down schools and colleges temporarily as a measure to contain the spread of the novel corona virus. It is close to 4 months and there is no certainty when educational institutes will be reopened and we also know that this is a very crucial time for education sector since board examination, nursery school admissions, entrance tests for various universities and competitive examinations among others are all held during this period. As the days pass by with no immediate solution to stop the outbreak of Covid -19 school and university closure will not only have a short term impact on the continuity of learning for more than 285 million young learners in India but also engender far- reaching economic and social consequences.
The pandemic is on its way to transform the centuries old teaching model and introduce the tech driven methodology on a large scale. This disruption in the delivery of education is pushing policy makers to figure out how to ensure engagement while ensuring inclusive e- learning solutions and tackling the issue of digital divide.
Immediate measures are essential to ensure continuity of learning in government schools and universities by introducing source digital learning solutions and learning management software. In kashmir, even when we are bereft of a better speed internet connectivity, introducing LMS portal, zoom apps, virtual classes including audio recordings, community classes have shown a ray of hope for the academic sector here. A lot more needs to be done in this connection and the administration must try and ensure better internet speed so that students do not lose the precious time.
