There is almost nothing that the ongoing pandemic has not affected but one sector that was among the first to be disrupted and is still struggling to get back on track is “education”. In India, educational institutions were closed several days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed in March last year and schools remain shut to this day, with the exception of some that have started classroom teaching for higher classes, but still attendance is not mandatory. Online learning was initiated to reduce learning losses but that too turned out to be an imperfect replacement for traditional classroom teaching especially in developing countries like India that has a sizable population who are either unable to afford gadgets or don’t have access to internet. Today, one can see visible signs of growing frustration among the parents as well as students after almost one year of school closure. On the other hand, educational institutions and governments are sandwiched between safety of children and pressure from many to reopen schools. This unprecedented situation has left millions of students in the country anxious about their academic prospect. Students, especially from poor families and rural areas sans good communication infrastructure, have to bear the brunt of pandemic-induced closure of schools. However, the recent Union Education Ministry’s directive to the states to support students when schools reopen through various measures this year including relaxation of detention norms to prevent large scale dropout and to initiate programmes that will help mitigate learning loss and inequality. This should come as a huge relief to students who are until now unsure of their future.
The Union Education Ministry has also directed the states to devise a proper strategy to prevent increased dropout numbers, lower enrolments, loss of learning and deterioration in the gains made in providing universal access, quality and equity in recent years. States have been asked to identify out-of-school children aged between six and 18 through door-to-door survey and prepare an action plan for enrolment of such students as well as provide education to those with special needs. This is a much-needed move from the Centre, as it will help students, especially those from marginalised sections of society, to continue their studies without much hassle when schools reopen or even before that. Children from poor families need extra attention and assistance this academic year to help them join the mainstream as they were affected by the digital divide more than others. Special attention should also be given to girl children, whose enrolment had increased over the years through concerted effort by the central as well as state governments. India can’t allow the ongoing pandemic and other issues arising out of it to undo the gains achieved in the education sector over the years. The strive towards providing quality education to all should be continued with renewed vigour. Children are the nation’s future and they should be nurtured.