THE use of technical education has given a new encouragement to the education of children in India during the epidemic. The education system of the country has now become as online as possible. Educational institutions across the country have been closed for the last one and half years. The epidemic has profoundly affected the economy and lives of school administrators, coaching center operators, temporary private school teachers and staff. On the other hand, the future of millions of students is still hanging in the balance. Anxiety about the future makes them feel depressed and stressed. The multi-faceted development of the educational institutions that have shaped the future of the students has been affected due to their long tenure! However, in the difficult times of the epidemic, it has established itself as a useful and effective education system as an alternative to online education.
It has proved to be a unique medium of teaching and learning by staying in one place and protecting oneself from the epidemic while maintaining the continuity of education. This has not only reduced the stress on teachers and students and parents, but also saved everyone’s life and time. While many private and public educational institutions have rapidly embraced the virtual education medium, adapting to this form has been challenging for many institutions struggling with lack of resources and support. The epidemic has disrupted schooling around the world. More than one hundred and ninety countries around the world had to close their schools to escape the corona. According to UNESCO, the education of 137 billion students in six countries has been suspended since the launch of COVID-19. The prevalence of online education as an alternative to the disruption of schooling has grown exponentially, but it is a matter of concern that this type of education has not reached everyone.
A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit states that the closure of schools has disrupted the education of only 100 million of the world’s 16 billion schoolchildren, meaning that such children continue to study at home despite the closure. Due to lack of technology at home, their education is continuous. For these children, technology has bridged the gap between home and school. Through technology, children are also solving their own problems by participating in daily classes. But on the other hand, the future of millions of rural children far from access to online education is in jeopardy. The problem of smartphones, poor power supply, inability to buy electronic gadgets and slow internet has taken over the future of those children! In an epidemic, children are witnessing their own future being destroyed right in front of their eyes! Due to Covid-19, even in the full and current education session of 2020-21, classes are being conducted with different methods of technology.
Through smartphones, computers and laptops, WhatsApp, Zoom, Email, etc., some children have been able to overcome the lack of schooling, but the worry is that homes in the country that do not have access to these technologies, The children there are deprived of the essential syllabus of the class. But the real situation of power and power supply in the country is not hidden from anyone. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2017-18 shows that 16 per cent households in the state get less than one to eight hours a day, 33 per cent households get 12 hours of electricity and only 45 per cent households get more than 12 hours of electricity. The reality is that the state of technical education and online education in government schools is worse.
Most of the children attending these schools belong to low-income families. They have neither the facility of a smartphone nor the status to buy an internet pack. Poverty, awareness and lack of technical knowledge in such families do not give much importance to the need for technology based education. Millions of children in the country are not taking advantage of online education even if they want to. In fact, the problem of electricity and internet is the main obstacle in the way of universal access to online education and its success. The internet has become a basic need of almost every conscious person today. The Internet has played a significant role in making life easier. It has also become a means of radical change in society. But on the other hand, it is surprising that a large portion of the country’s population is far from accessing information on the Internet. It is also difficult for a large section of the population to afford two meals a day, so it is very wrong for them to think of getting electricity and internet connection.
According to the first round of the Annual Education Status Report 2020 , 39 out of every 100 students are deprived of online education because they do not have a smartphone. Only 67 per cent of the country’s urban population has access to the internet, compared to just 31 per cent in rural India. According to Internet and Mobile SC Bun of India, the number of Internet subscribers in the country by 2020 was 622 million.
Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are the only three states in terms of internet subscribers, while Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are the three most backward states. It is estimated that the number of Internet subscribers in India could increase by 45% by 2025. However, the importance of the Internet in the country as well as its speed is also in question. It is customary for housewives to have cheaper mobile phones than men and to give their sons ahead of time and more expensive smartphones than their daughters expect. It also needs to change
Vijay Garg
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