Understanding the impact of COVID-19 in the learning experiences of underprivileged kids

Abstract

COVID-19, one of the largest pandemics the world has ever seen, has affected not just the way in which we look at our health system, but also our perspective on every other aspect of life. And one of the important systems to look at is the education system. The long period over which the pandemic went on meant that all over the world, the way in which teaching was carried out had to undergo tremendous changes. With people being restricted to their homes, the shift in the mode of work and education was inevitable. Students of various ages were forced to resort to mobile phones and laptops to attend their regular classes. The experience of every student would vary according to the resources they had access to and the situation at their homes. In developed countries, students would have found it easier to shift, compared to those in developing countries where the digital infrastructure is not great. In a country like India, which witnessed one of the longest school closures in the world, creating efficient educational policies that can trickle down to children staying in even the remotest of places of the country is definitely a big challenge. With people in the country belonging to diverse socioeconomic statuses, it is important that initiatives cater to the needs of each one of them. A closer look at the issues and challenges faced by the underprivileged children in India with regard to education brings out some of the seldom explored gaps in the structure of education system in India.