Indian Education Amid A Pandemic
Pratim Dey
Economists Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze are of the opinion that the key element of development for any society is social inclusion. Without social inclusion, they argue, true development cannot be achieved. The economists talk about inclusion in many social sectors and a key one among them is education.
In India, the discourse on inclusion in elementary education is largely in the realm of education of children with disability or special educational needs. A significant emphasis in policy and programmes has been on hitherto educationally deprived groups such as dalits, adivasis, religious minorities and girls, who comprise the majority of children not in school. As indicated by Gross Enrolment Ratio statistics, many parts of the country have achieved almost universal enrolment. In this regard, one must talk about the flagship program launched by the former Left Front government in West Bengal, by which free education was offered for all in government schools till class XII. Inclusion in education is viewed as a complex process that positions social groups differently in relation to valued resources — knowledge, skills, cultural attributes, future opportunities and life chances, sense of dignity, self worth and social respect.
The suddenly implemented nationwide lockdown has led to educational institutions being closed, as a consequence of which learners ranging from school-goers to post graduate students are heavily affected. These closures, according to a report, are impacting over 91% of the world’s student population. UNESCO reports estimate that the COVID-19 pandemic will adversely impact over 290 million students across 22 countries. UNESCO has also said that almost 30 crores students are affected in India alone, including those in schools and colleges.
In such a situation, a majority of India’s educational institutions have opted for the mode of online education and are using apps like ‘Zoom’. 45 crores of people of this country have access to the internet and thus to e-learning. People residing in the countryside are still deprived of the latest advancement. Visual classrooms are not only dependent on e-lectures and online study material, but practice sheets as well. The pandemic has made one thing clear that the government can make claims of “Digital India”, but the present scenario shows that we lag far behind with regards to internet connection and technology and therefore are not at all equipped to make online education reach each and every student of the country. As a result, we have seen that a major chunk of the students’ population in our country, mainly those in remote areas, have not been able to gain access to ‘digital learning’, creating a digital divide.
Many ‘migrant students’ who were at Kolkata for their higher studies have had to return to their villages because of the pandemic. Following the super cyclone Amphan, they have had to face many problems like weak internet connectivity, but many institutions without paying heed to this, have been continuing with conducting online classes.
As per the work I referred to earlier by Sen and Dreze, the present situation in India would be ‘social exclusion’ not ‘inclusion’. If the government wants to project India as truly ‘Atma Nirbhar’, they must at least ensure internet connectivity even to the remotest corners of the country.
Many universities have even planned to go for online examinations and the digital submission of assignments — further dividing the students community between the ‘privileged’ and the ‘under-privileged’. The government must understand that in a country like India, the online mode of education which is currently a luxury, will not remain a luxury if the government provides the proper infrastructure needed.
If we consider development as a book, then we must take social inclusion as the preface and education as the first chapter. If we cannot spread education — be it online or offline — the country will not become ‘Atma Nirbhar’. Education is a fundamental right, given to us by the Indian Constitution. The government cannot use the situation of the pandemic to seize this right away from the citizens of this country. Coronavirus simply didn’t break the system, it opened a broken system in front of us.
Pratim Dey is a student at the Department of Political Science, University of Calcutta.
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