LEARNING CURVE

Entrepreneurs, innovators and non-profits are coming up with newer methods of teaching so that students across all socio-economic strata have an equitable access to education

- NAINI THAKER & MANSVINI KAUSHIK

It’s well documented how Covid-19 has amplified the existing gaps in the Indian education system. The country, which was already struggling with problems of inadequate access to education for its 600 million young people, suffered a further blow when educational institutions halted physical operations due to the nationwide lockdown in March.

Only 42 percent of urban Indian households and less than 15 percent of rural households have internet access, according to a report by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in 201718. The Remote Learning Reachability report issued by UNICEF in August pointed out, “In India, over 1.5 million (15 lakh) schools have been closed due to the pandemic, affecting 286 million (28.6 crore) children from pre-primary to secondary levels, (of which 49 percent are girls). This adds to the 6 million (60 lakh) girls and boys who were already out of school before the Covid-19 crisis.”

Education via digital platforms has been an alien concept for many underdeveloped cities in India. A survey conducted by Oxfam India in September across five Indian states revealed that over 80 percent of children enrolled in government schools had not received any form of education since the lockdown, while only 20 percent of teachers of government schools were trained for delivering classes online.

By approving the New Education Policy in Parliament, the government has taken a much-needed step towards digitisation of education in the country. The policy, which seems to be the harbinger of change for the post-pandemic world, stresses the need for making a wide variety of digital resources available and accessible for the learning requirements of students across the country.