Online Learning: Still A Distant Dream For Millions Of Indian Students
Students of private educational institutes such as Amity University, Sikkim Manipal University and many like them were already accustomed to the use of e-learning tools and thus had no difficulty in taking their entire functioning online but the same can’t be expected from the students who belong to a remote village in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar
The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the way the modern world operated earlier. India and its citizens are not untouched. Students especially were affected as they missed and continue to miss their crucial learning days.
To bridge the gap, schools and colleges deployed several strategies and tools to ensure online classes until the lockdown ends. Although, only those educational institutions have been successful in conducting regular online classes who already had the infrastructure and students had a fair understanding of how the system works.
For the rest i.e. most of the Indian schools and colleges, students are lagging behind their syllabus either due to no classes for over a month or online classes which are frequently disrupted due to various reasons like internet cut, power disruption, etc. According to a report titled “COVID-19: A wake up call for telecom service providers” by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), “The Indian Internet infrastructure is not ready for the paradigm shift to online learning mandated by the situation arising due to COVID-19.” The report highlights connectivity and signal issues as the most common problems faced by students while attending online classes.
“The survey pointed out that the infrastructure in terms of technology in India has not achieved a state of quality so as to ensure sound delivery of online classes to students across the country. It is seen that both the state and the private players have not yet managed to overcome technical challenges, for instance, in providing adequate power supply and ensuring effective connectivity as the data reveals,” the report said.
Students of private educational institutes such as Amity University, Sikkim Manipal University and many like them were already accustomed to the use of e-learning tools and thus had no difficulty in taking their entire functioning online but the same can’t be expected from the students who belong to a remote village in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar.
Taking notes from the ground realities, the UP Government ordered to promote all the students from class one to eight students without examinations. CBSE too had taken a similar decision to promote primary class students without exams on the "advise" of HRD Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
Apart from building the required infrastructure, the students and teachers have to be first familiarised with the digital system so that the technological evolution in the Indian education system doesn’t leave behind millions of unprepared students.
For the rest i.e. most of the Indian schools and colleges, students are lagging behind their syllabus either due to no classes for over a month or online classes which are frequently disrupted due to various reasons like internet cut, power disruption, etc. According to a report titled “COVID-19: A wake up call for telecom service providers” by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), “The Indian Internet infrastructure is not ready for the paradigm shift to online learning mandated by the situation arising due to COVID-19.” The report highlights connectivity and signal issues as the most common problems faced by students while attending online classes.
“The survey pointed out that the infrastructure in terms of technology in India has not achieved a state of quality so as to ensure sound delivery of online classes to students across the country. It is seen that both the state and the private players have not yet managed to overcome technical challenges, for instance, in providing adequate power supply and ensuring effective connectivity as the data reveals,” the report said.
Students of private educational institutes such as Amity University, Sikkim Manipal University and many like them were already accustomed to the use of e-learning tools and thus had no difficulty in taking their entire functioning online but the same can’t be expected from the students who belong to a remote village in Uttar Pradesh or Bihar.
Taking notes from the ground realities, the UP Government ordered to promote all the students from class one to eight students without examinations. CBSE too had taken a similar decision to promote primary class students without exams on the "advise" of HRD Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
Apart from building the required infrastructure, the students and teachers have to be first familiarised with the digital system so that the technological evolution in the Indian education system doesn’t leave behind millions of unprepared students.
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