Everyone in Lockdown might be missing School buses on roads, Student hauling huge bag of books, Morning Assembly melodies and ease of traditional education. In India, 29% of the proportion of people in the urban will contrast to only 6% of the rural area regarding computer. Jammu and Kashmir is having 72.62% and 27.38% rural and urban population respectively. This cannot be shorn of that no one was geared up for COVID 19 and so it directly affected our economy, health sector, employment and so education also. As per the latest Report of UNESCO 157 crore students across the world will be affected because of COVID 19 lockdown and in India, 32 crore students have been affected. At every level of education, there has been now a serious raising question like when and how the next session will be started? When examinations will be conducted? How will be the study gap and deficiency of school-going process reduced? To ensure delivery of every lecture and topic to every student on ground zero. Now after lockdown, there was no option left without online mood of education, the E-learning that can ease the burden and balance the equation of the teaching-learning process.
During past few years E learning has came up as a wonder and as of now in Even being, India is the second largest E- learning hub after USA and the idea is to reach the people at home desk and making them comprehend about what are they actually looking for which is practically a debacle and not active on ground . The system of education which is based on teaching learning process is now more modern and versatile .An abundant of YouTube’s, instagramers, facebook pages and other sources including recent DTH channels and other mediums as well. There are applications that are also becoming the best part of E-learning including BYJUS, Udeymy, edX; Online, Vedantu, Merit Nation at primary, secondary and higher level of education.
Everything in it is possible with a good facility of internet and in Jammu and kashmir UT since 5th Aug 2019 4G is everyone’s dream that not coming to be true .E-learning system of education is cost and time effective as well 2G can never fulfill theses expectations. The ease of learning via internet is not so old in India and so in Jammu and kashmir but everyone following the traditional mode of education, lockdown has really augmented the demand of E-learning and so online education is now a need of an hour but the fact is that it is not so easy as we thing, the main reason is the medium called internet which is at 2G speed and in some areas it get more reduced to nothing practically. A large section of people is not using an android phone neither having any tablet or laptop as well. In some cases people having all these things are not aware about E-learning and online system of education. The methodology requisite at ground zero so far is lacking and the administration despite taking initiatives is almost nowhere In it to make it more reliable and compatible at every level. Rural area of Jammu and kashmir is the most concern in it, there are some schools in Jammu, Srinagar, Samba, Udhampur, Districts where Computer labs are available and people are aware about it but a lesser percentage of people are aware in far flung areas of Jammu and kashmir and also the high tech infrastructure is a dream in rural areas, the less availability of computer labs, internet facilities, optical fiber, wifi are major concerns and need of these areas. In this students have suffered directly a lot. “We need to travel one kilometer almost by foot to get then network signal sometimes we really wonder about being living in 21st century”? a local from Village Chencer in eastern part of District Doda told me while I asked him about the E- learning and online system of education.
We have more than 15 lakhs schools in India and if we compare it to China has only 2 lakhs schools only. Chinese are at top 5 in world ranking in the system of education where as our kids at unfortunately at in bottom 5 in world ranking, we have ratio of 1:60 in between Teacher and a student here which is not really good and as future indication either to reduce schools or to increase the teacher ration number and also provide infrastructure, deliver technology, make E-learning hubs and create experts in E learning machinery as well.
Jammu and Kashmir administration recently has taken few initiatives in order to perk up the quality of education. But everything in E-learning is promising when there is proper internet and accessible devices including at an android phone or a tablet that can help a student in receiving that format. It also needs stepladder to create awareness to the parents. It has been almost five months when there is no morning assembly and rush of school buses on roads, the zest and zeal is really being missed by everyone. But the most important step being taken is to keep student inside , and important concern is to keep a student busy inside even the education needs to be delivered from outer side weather a teacher or an expert so the delivery of home education is only E-learning or online system which is really different from traditional based system of education. Well the method to promote a student in next session without exam keeping in view its previous class result is time called Mass promoting is a new idea but will it be able to give the quality education to the student, for example if a student of 11th class is being promoted directly to 12th standard will he been able to achieve that quality in class 12th when he is not aware about the class 11th syllabus even?. This creates a study gap so ruther then mass promotion which is even appreciated so as of now but this it is responsibility of concern board and school also educated parents to reach out the student and trim down that study gap so that student will not feel that paucity in future regarding to the class he has missed. This is possible by taking extra classes, reducing holidays once everything gets standard and even reaching students via E-learning.
At this time the main apprehension is to protect self and others from COVID 19 and steps forward from home being inside. News regarding to opening of Schools right now is not a good idea more than 90% of parents are not willing so Government need to be more vibrant and active and take affective measures to reach students at every level through online classes. Pending fees and fee hike is also another major quandary because from one side fees is being taken for no teaching; even charges of buses have been asked in several cases. Education towards commercialization is not new notion but at this time the main focus must be reduction of fees structure, improvement of online classes on ground zero, making parents and students aware about access to E- learning process and methodology, Effective mass promotion and reducing the study gap that is main concern. IGNOU model must be implemented as right now IGNOU has offered few online short term courses so that student will linger busy as well. The students who are facing anxiety and depression must be given a high level psychotherapy by local associated experts and administration so that decentralization of burden will take place and education in rural areas will take a new plug and level.
