Education During Lockdown

Apr 29 2020 - Schools all over India have been shut down in the event of hopes to curb the rising pandemic that is Corona Virus. Families and schools were quick to adapt to alternative methods to keep the school curriculum from getting disrupted via Online Sessions and homeschooling. Although, rural parts of India who do not have access to internet or schools may not be joining the momentum of online classes, bigger cities and organizations have increased the access to free courses and activities for students and those seeking to not waste their time. Many state governments have sprung into action to join this initiative and have in turn, urged schools to promote online education.

Founded by Byju Raveendran, Byju�s was already active in imparting education online and has seen a rise in subscribers (almost 60%) during the period of Quarantine. Interesting to note that the estimated nearly 60% of its students are those who reside outside of the big cities. This shift has been made possible with the reach of internet services across India. And Byju�s has stepped up its accessibility by introducing programs in various regional languages. Other establishments like Unacademy, Vedantu, Lido Learning and Toppr are also offering content to students. These organizations are also collaborating and extending their platforms to schools to provide uninterrupted and unified approach to impart knowledge.

Many apps have also aided in this shift of mode of education, like Zoom classes that the whole world has taken to. Other programs include Google Classrooms, Skype, access to iCloud and even sharing lectures over WhatsApp has increased.

Apart from Online classes, Audio platforms have also seen an increase in educational content and platforms like Oxford University Press have given access to the teachers so that delivery of education is not disrupted. Many content creators are creating and offering their educational content to enhance the online learning experience and free access has been the trend during Lockdown which has encouraged many in pursuit of knowledge.

Families and their commitment to homeschooling their children is also noteworthy at this point. Practical learning and aided education are practiced and a true family�s involvement in their children�s education is observed in many homes. To curb screen time and to promote physical activities to practice social distancing, many families are resorting to playful yet educational activities in their own household. Practical learning may go a long way in terms of retaining knowledge and this is great effort by those involved.

Along the same lines, the boost of online education has been recognized as an attempt to all-round education rather than just exam preparations. Memorization and replication during exams are less engaging as compared to online interactive learning. India�s ability to adapt to the current situation has been appreciated globally and prioritization of education has been heightened with the scope of the internet. - Maryam