The effects of global pandemic are scattered all over the world from layoffs to furloughs; from part-time jobs to complete job losses; however, in all this global chaos our children are the worst sufferers.
Reason: There were no proper arrangements for schools to operate remotely. No tools, no technologies that were designed for remote education.
Result: Parents were left high and dry and had to figure out how to go about their child’s education as schools closed down for the lockdown with no concrete plans for the calendar year.
The situation has worsened since the day COVID had hit the world. Education industry world over has been struggling since then. And with no clear respite from the virus visible sometime soon, there have been various possible solutions that were tried and tested but failed at the most basic level.
Innovating Education and How Educating Leaders May Help!
World’s Education Companies like Edvantic are trying numerous ways to help education industry bridge the gaps in education.
Innovating education through various tools and technologies is one way to bridge the gap, however, there are limitations here as well.
Limitations –
- Not every family is equipped to take online classes. Economic status and lack of technology knowledge are some of the prime reasons
- Children with disability are the most affected, as the different levels of disabilities need different levels of personal attention that is missing in remote learning
- Working parents have no option to leave their kids anywhere as daycares have closed shops due to lack of funds
- For some families the effort of educating their child or children is more than they can anticipate as the job situation is also not good
Educating leaders in the industry to reach out and help may prove worthy, however, this too may have limitations –
- Economic crisis for one is the major concern for the families struggling with job loss or reduced work hours and the online schooling of their kids.
- Teachers’ struggle with online technology like Zoom, or Teams is also as real as it can get. They have to master the technology overnight and ensure that they have planned their lessons well for online learning
- Minding unruly students in a physical class is a challenge, it becomes more intimidating minding an online class with unruly students
- Children who have recently got accessed to technology are more keen on exploring it instead of focusing on what is being taught in the class
All these are real-time challenges that are being faced by education industry all over the world and the US is no exception.
The economic gap between the society in the US became more apparent with the global pandemic, as affluent parents ensured private tutors for their children and also planned various extracurricular activities for their children.
Parents from lower income group relied heavily on the schools’ decisions and were left worried about their child’s future. But despite all the worries and uncertainties parents were clear that schools shouldn’t be in a hurry to start the in-person education. Though there have been some schools in various states of the country that have offered choices like –
- Complete online learning
- In-person schooling i.e. schools have opened their doors to the students who want to physically attend the school, though in restricted numbers
- A blend of physical and online learning where the students can choose the day they wish to attend the school physically or take the online classes
While education companies around the world are doing their best to make the best out of the worst situation, these are not the concrete steps. And considering the COVID situation, it seems a permanent solution is a must if we wish to secure the future of our children.
Some education companies like Edvantic are already working in that sector with an aim to ensure that education is accessible to every child irrespective of her location or economic status.