When they say it’s the digital age, not even the most tech-savvy would have imagined a life like this, practically cut-off from the world physically but wired to move on. And it took a pandemic to make the world look at and experience life from a different perspective. As mystery ailment COVID-19 continues to ravage the world and claim new victims, education—like all other sectors—too had to self-isolate and innovate to keep students up-to-date.
Ever since universities and colleges suspended classes in March this year because of the unprecedented coronavirus-induced lockdown, it has been a life-altering experience for students and teachers—attending online classes from home amid many challenges, including poor connectivity in rural and semi-urban areas. Forced to remain cooped up in their homes for months on end, this period has deprived students of the joys of attending school/college in arguably the best time of life. The growing concerns around the virus and the nationwide lockdown have changed the way we live in multiple ways. And online classes, like work from home, have become the new normal despite initial hiccups.
When students can’t go to school, where internet is as remote as the place itself, teachers go to the children. And the kids of Jugal High School near Tezpur in Assam can’t be happier. “Since the lockdown, our teachers are holding classes in small batches in people’s courtyards or in community halls of namghars (Vaishnav shrines), heeding social distancing stipulations,” says Biswajit Boro, the headmaster. Besides, students are encouraged to clear doubts with teachers over the phone, while Zoom comes in handy sometimes. The Assamese-medium government school holds a beacon to progressive thinking—it has its own orchard and vegetable garden, producing enough veggies and fruits to feed 500 students each midday meal.
The pandemic has hit the economy hard, affecting a large number of families and pinching their income. How much are students and parents affected? How do they see their post-Covid world? To gauge the impact of the pandemic on students as well as to understand their mood and sentiments along with that of their parents, Outlook joined forces with Toluna—an ITWP company and leading consumer intelligence platform that delivers insights on demand—to conduct a definitive survey on online education, a first in the country.
Poor internet connectivity has forced Subrata Pati, a history teacher, to climb a neem tree every day in Ahanda village, West Bengal, to teach his students. He made a platform of bamboo, gunny sacks and hay on the tree with the help of his friends so that he can hold classes comfortably.
The survey across 20 metro and non-metro cities brings out interesting facts—that students are stressed, anxious and deeply concerned about their post-pandemic future. As are their parents. While 77 per cent students feel the pandemic will affect their chances of pursuing higher education, four out of five are concerned that the global scourge is going to impact their prospects of employment in the coming years. Describing their current mood, 38 per cent students admit they are stressed. The stifling situation is too much to bear. And stress levels are significantly higher among woman students—45 per cent—compared to men (31 per cent). The proportion of those feeling confident is just 22 per cent, the survey reveals.
Jeyaishwari R Nadar, a mathematics teacher at Gandhi Memorial English High School, Mumbai, has been using a refrigerator tray propped up with plastic jars to take videos of notes. She came up with the idea after she felt the need to show her students what she was writing as she spoke.
Parents are equally stressed, anxious and apprehensive about their children’s future. At least 88 per cent parents say they are concerned about “the negative impact” of the pandemic on their children’s education and feel the kids are under “a lot of stress” too. A big reason behind student stress is the lockdown’s blow on the economy and dwindling household income. Many people lost their jobs, or are saddled with salary cuts. The crushing economic hardship has left businesses suffering huge losses. Consequently, at least 68 per cent students say they will have to abandon plans for higher studies and find a job to support their family.
Shyam Kishore Gandhi, the headmaster of a school in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, has put up loudspeakers in Bankathi village so that students can ‘attend’ classes. He has been holding two-hour classes every day from 10 am since April 16.
That American dream will also have to wait. Many are already shattered. Lakhs of Indian students go abroad each year for higher studies. That trend is unlikely this year. At least 77 per cent students feel COVID-19 is going to stall their chances of travelling abroad for a degree. The government has anticipated as much. A large number of students would drop their plans to go abroad in view of the pandemic and prefer to study in India—which again will put pressure on home institutes. The Union education ministry is considering increasing the number of seats in “well-performing” higher education institutions and take contigency measures to enroll more students. But most students—66 per cent—are circumspect. They feel the pandemic will affect their chances of pursuing higher education in India as well.
More than half of the parents feel the current situation will impact career plans of their children. While 81 per cent parents say they are worried about paying college fees in the coming months, 78 per cent fear they will have dip into their savings to pay.
Pune-based chemistry teacher Moumita B. became an internet sensation after she made a tripod for her mobile phone using a clothes hanger, rigging it to a chair with rubber bands. The ‘tripod’ helps her take a stable video of her writing on a blackboard.
Most students have, however, adjusted to the new online education environment. There is little option. A significant proportion of students are satisfied with the remote, digital teaching-learning process. Three out of four students are comfortable with online classes and want their colleges to continue the model for the time being—or until the situation improves. They are happy with the efforts of their universities and colleges to reduce anxiety, although lengthy online classes are pushing up stress levels. Yet, the majority of students attending classes online say classroom teaching should resume once the Covid storm blows over. Parents second this view.
A massive number of students—81 per cent—believe digital, distance education cannot provide better student-student, teacher-student interaction that classrooms and campuses. Also, free-flowing debates are better done in classrooms, they say. On the flipside, online classes have excluded a sizeable proportion of students. At least 58 per cent say they do not have a computer, internet connection, or printer at home. Pointing to the other negatives, 80 per cent students say it is stressful to look at the phone or computer screen all day long. While 25 per cent students say network and connectivity issues hamper classes, 60 per cent complain that downloading study material is a big hassle. Besides, 70 per cent students feel lonely in the online setup.
As universities and colleges prepare for a long haul, three out of four students and 71 per cent parents say online education will have a negative impact on overall personality development. While 65 per cent students feel they will be “more nervous and apprehensive” to interact with college buddies, 69 per cent fear losing friends if they continue to stay at home, study from home.
Online classes are posing more serious problems. More than half of the students say they have faced issues such as hackers disrupting sessions and posting vulgar contents on online platforms where classes are held. This problem has been significantly bigger in non-metro cities with 62 per cent students saying they experienced disruptions in class. This issue has left most parents worried.
Positives, however, outweigh the cons in this time of a plague. While half of the students say they are spending more time on their studies, 78 per cent admit they have more time to focus on their studies. Flexibility to attend live lectures from anywhere and the option to refer to recorded lectures are important benefits. It has been easy for 69 per cent students to connect with their teachers after the online classes for queries and to clear doubts. Besides, the majority of students underscore the point that there will be less cases of campus violence in an online setup, while 82 per cent say study-from-home will cut down sexual harassment and gender-related issues in colleges.
The majority of parents are satisfied with the current online setup. Then again, 75 per cent of them are concerned about the future, saying their children are finding it hard to concentrate and study because of pandemic-related uncertainties. More than 50 per cent of parents say it is stressful for their children to stay at home for months on end. The majority of parents—77 per cent—are also concerned about their children’s health as they are spending “too much time” in front of a computer or mobile phone screen. Over 70 per cent parents say online classes are more difficult for children with special needs.
Like students, a majority of parents feel online education can replace face-to-face teaching in the coming years, though classroom learning has its own merits. They also admit changes in their children’s higher education plans because of the pandemic and the government’s plans to promote online education in a big way to increase the country’s gross enrollment ratio (GER) in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035.
Most students are satisfied with the preparedness of their colleges to continue with online classes, but they and their parents feel extracurricular activities should also be included in the curriculum. Even as they are deeply concerned about their future, most students are optimistic about the situation improving in the coming months. More than 70 per cent students believe there will be a vaccine for coronavirus in the next six months and life will be back to normal.
Survey Methodology
The Outlook-Toluna Survey was conducted online using a standard structured self-filled questionnaire, covering 20 cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Surat, Bhopal, Patna, Guwahati, Vijayawada, Cochin, Chandigarh, Kanpur and Vishakhapatnam. A total of 845 interviews were conducted among students (graduation and post-graduation level), while 130 interviews were done with parents to understand their perspective on the current situation.
Also Read
