Impact of lock-down on students career

EFFECT OF LOCK-DOWN ON STUDENTS CAREER

(Written by: Vani Gupta)

As we all know the corona virus pandemic has disrupted most of the sectors in India including transport, healthcare, oil and gas, agriculture etc. There is hardly any sector which remains unaffected. The consequences of the disease have been quite devastating and are still not coming to an end anytime soon. Education sector is one of the most affected and still not frequently addressed domains during this crisis. While this may not be a good time to address the seriously low expenditure on education in India still we need to show a basic concern over this issue.

Due to the pandemic the state governments across the country have shut down schools and colleges and there is still no clarity as to when they will be reopened. Times like these have forced most of the education institutes to resort to online mode of learning in an attempt to adjust to this “new normal”. Also let’s not forget that this is the most crucial time with respect to education because most of the entrance exams for various streams are normally scheduled during these months and even the admission processes begin shortly and amidst the virus all these processes are somewhat put on hold in the hope that a cure might come soon. Along with that how can we forget about the board examinations.

The situation has led to some really deep rooted problems which need to be resolved as soon as possible. As the entrance exams of most of colleges are postponed, this situation can have a far reaching effect on the private education sector. Maybe some faculties and employees may face a cut in their salaries and bonuses might get postponed. It will also lead to a slowdown in student placements and internships, lower fee collection that can create hurdles in managing the working capital. Other than that the students who graduated this year and were seeking employment or already had a job but might fear a withdrawal of those offers from the corporate sector due to the crisis.

Technology also plays an important role in this lockdown period. As mentioned before many private schools and colleges have adopted online methods of education however there are a number of government institutes (mostly schools) which are not able to adopt the online teaching methods. The problem does not end there, having all the facilities do not mean they will be used too. Internet is not that readily available either. Other than this there is an even more basic issue at stake. The closure of schools has serious implications on the everyday nutrition of students as the mid-day meal scheme has been put to a temporary halt.

It should be noted that the closure of schools will also lead to a widened learning gap between children from lower income and higher income families. The loss of possibly half a year if not the full academic year 2020-21 is going to further deteriorate the situation, as students will have a difficulty in resuming their schooling. There will also be huge economic losses as discussed earlier that would lead to income losses. A downfall in the education expenditure especially by the economically weaker sections and disadvantaged households should be expected and there might as well be a dip in the enrolment.

While the damage to the education sector is similar to the damage to every other sector across the world, it is possible that with proper planning and measures we can reduce the damage. First step that should be taken is to reopen the schools/colleges in the green zones and make sure proper social distancing practices are being followed. In order to increase the enrolment more and more distance learning programmes should be introduced. Additionally there is a need to develop a financial stimulus for the education sector primarily targeting the low cost private aided and unaided schools/colleges.

Also, measures should be taken to mitigate the effects of pandemics on job offers, internship programs and research projects. We cannot ignore that at this time effective education practices are needed to build young minds and the government needs to take steps for the same to ensure the overall progress of the country, till then let’s hope the situation gets better soon. Stay home, stay safe.