Article 21A of the Constitution of India guarantees us the right to free and compulsory education. This right is being denied because education is neither free nor compulsory in the current model of school education. On the contrary, it is expensive and affordable for many people, and therefore naturally optional.
India has had one of the longest school closures in the world. Students have suffered greatly and are deprived of social environment, learning, daily feeding, health, mental and physical health among many other virtues of physical schooling for more than 82 weeks!
It has been reiterated by leading international and Indian medical institutions and acclaimed doctors that vaccination should not be a prerequisite for the reopening of schools. The students are beginning to think and the general impression is that the government does not want to interfere in the matter simply because it is perceived to be a risk. However, they are willing to take more, if not more, risk by reopening other public places like malls, restaurants, hotels etc.
Ironically, children allowed to visit malls, cinemas and other public places but banned from schools are also hybrid and with the consent of parents and guardians.
Under new guidelines for reopeningThe decision to reopen schools is entirely left to the states. One can assume this because every state has a different COVID-19 ground situation. However, there should not be a general framework and set guidelines that are the same for all states to reopen schools, specifying what the positivity rate should be for schools to reopen, what percentage of students should go to school. Will this be allowed and when, and will it be hybrid/offline etc.? There is an imperative need to frame guidelines laid down by the central government so that the states are not able to shirk their responsibility towards their students.
Attending online classes incurs huge expenditure on the part of the families of the students. From buying computer, laptop, mobile to getting stable internet connection or data package. According to the World Bank, India’s per capita income is $1927/year. This roughly equates to Rs 1,43,384 per year and Rs 11,916 per month. Incurring the above expenditure would wipe out at least a month’s worth of revenue for the average working Indian parent. this is why a Study by Azim Premji Foundation November 2021 showed that nearly 60 percent of school children in India cannot access online learning opportunities.
In another national sample survey by ICRIER and LIRNEAsia, a think tank on digital policy, only 20 per cent of school children in India had access to distance learning during the pandemic, of whom only half attended live online lessons.
Even those who were fortunate and privileged to attend online classes felt shy and uncomfortable to ask questions and speak in classes, especially with teachers and peers they were unfamiliar with. This hindered development and learning significantly. They weren’t able to meet friends and participate in school activities that essentially build interpersonal skills as well. The psychological impact has been tremendous for mental health issues such as depression and social cohesion among students.
As students were not able to attend classes and understand the concepts, this led to reduction in preparation for online and offline examinations. The Central Board of Secondary Education had recently conducted the class 10 and 12 board exams. Apart from the fact that a new scheme was introduced during the pandemic which significantly increased the burden on the students, in the long run, the way these exams were conducted was at least questionable.
It was evident that the Board was less prepared and incapable of conducting these examinations. There were irregularities in question papers, officially released marking schemes and important rules were changed even in the middle of the exam. How can the board or the government expect that students have not reopened schools for offline classes, given that they will take offline exams? Not everyone has access to online education, and those who do best get education, only in the nature of a stopgap and ad-hoc arrangement. These are important issues which should be carefully deliberated and considered before conducting the upcoming CBSE Class X and XII Term 2 exams.
We must remember that in the backdrop of the pandemic, schools should be the last to be closed and the first to reopen.
The author is a student of class 12th from New Delhi.
read all breaking news, today’s fresh news And coronavirus news Here.
,