The lockdown has impacted every sector in the country as well as the world but the sector which can be implied to be detrimentally affected besides the economy is education. Whether it is a school-going student or a college-going one, it has influenced everyone badly. It has divested them of enough knowledge by both theoretical and practical means and will continue to do so if the pandemic does not end soon (which does not appear to be happening soon!).
The lockdown has affected everyone mentally and socially, and children/students are no less. The introduction of online education had a negative impact on all the students depriving them of social interaction, practical knowledge, proper environment to study, and reduced their attentiveness and concentration in the class to a significant level. With the pandemic snatching more than a year away from the student’s life, the wait is still not over as schools, colleges, and other educational institutions have not yet shown any interest in opening in near future. With the third wave of COVD-19 arriving in a few weeks, the probability of resuming offline classes seems unlikely. As a result, the students have become a lot casual, tired, bored of regularly sitting at home and not been able to attend school and college which can also lead to slipping of their academic performances.
The pandemic has not only impacted students but teachers and institutions as well. Teachers are also finding teaching in this online mode a rather tough task due to the lack of physical interaction, it is difficult for the teachers to know if each one of the students has clearly understood the concepts or not. Also, students tend to be less interactive in the virtual mode adding to their woes. The educational institutions are under constant pressure from parents, government regarding the study pattern, reopening and health and safety concerns of students if in case it does, conduction of classes and exams in online mode with proper proctoring and various other responsibilities.
Alongside, the cancellation of 10th and 12th class board exams has created a huge setback to the education sector and young minds endangering the qualification criteria for higher education. We have reached such a stage that even after taking complete COVID-19 precautions and getting double doses of vaccination; large gathering is still not considered safe. For the time being, resuming normal ways to lead life is distant and the hope continues.
