In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, people still go to stores and touch everything. Hugs and handshakes are common. We have unprotected intimate interactions with door handles.

Yet, even here, on this series of 29 small atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Covid-19 has raised issues for higher education that reverberate on distant shores.

I teach at the US-funded and accredited College of the Marshall Islands, the only college based in the country. (There is also a branch of theUniversity of the South Pacific.) The main campus is at the urbanised end of the capital island, Majuro, home to about 28,000 of its 58,000 inhabitants.

Since the beginning of this year,I have happily been one of those 28,000. I love it here. I can walk from my house on the lagoon side to the ocean in about two minutes, and I have a dream job. We all want to be in a place where we can help and empower people and the school is remarkably focused on empowerment.

Our classes remained face-to-face throughout the spring semester since there were no confirmed Covid-19 cases on the island. Then, in April, the college president used a faculty meeting to announce that courses were finally going to move online because there was a suspected case. Some faculty gasped and grumbled. What about internet access? For many here, home access is not an option.

But, in this, we are far from unique. Internet access has become the widest of new economic divides not just in the developing world but also in parts of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and other countries with remote communities. Although it is hard to get reliable figures for the Marshall Islands, one telecom worker estimated that far fewer than half the population have access.

I got my students ready for the online switch as best I could and we braced for the following week. Students would still have internet access on campus, so I thought they just might commit. They responded to the news on the online switch with shrugs.

The following Monday when we were first supposed to go online the colleges plans changed. We were all still to stay in class after all: the suspected Covid-19 case had turned out negative. My classes were already online, however, so I made the in-class component optional.

The first week opened to a smattering of interaction, which soon drifted into silence, except for one student. He was thrilled to be online and immediately went from a D student to an A+ one. Otherwise, however, online work was very late, when it came in at all.

Faculty have many theories about low participation rates. Students are unable to come because of family responsibilities that can change daily. Parents get new work schedules or have to move to other islands, so some students have to stay home and take care of younger siblings and cousins.

My students had come into college for those of their classes that remained face-to-face.Desperate to involve them, I took to patrolling the campus to get them to do their homework. This worked well. Some even seemed to come to life and smile when I brought up the threat of punishment. (I like having them clean up the campus with me.)

Daily emails and Google Hangouts also helped. Some students seemed to revel in asking the same questions over and over and getting me to explain the assignments I had already described more clearly in Moodle. They would do some of it, have me check it and it would be great. Ten minutes later, someone would pipe up: Geoff, about assignment four. How do I do it?

This is probably unsurprising. As a shy 18-year-old, I think I would also have found it comforting or even fun to have a professor who was endlessly patient with me in a chat window. Participation rates picked up. At the end of the semester, pass rates were not great but comparable to other instructors classes.

Yet the broad picture remained clear: while some students improved online, others stopped participating. This seems to mirror what has happened elsewhere. In my previous position as an instructor in Alabama, some of the counties we drew most of our students from have average annual household incomes of less than $25,000 (20,000). The issues facing disadvantaged communities everywhere, as education moves online, are alike (and are being magnified by the pandemic): internet access, cultural literacy and financial support from families.

Over the past two centuries, the Marshall Islands have been occupied by Germany, Japan and the US; the last also tested 42.2 megatons of nuclear weapons here. When Covid-19 does finally arrive, I worry that the good intentions of our dedicated faculty will not be enough to protectthe progress theMarshallese people have made in rebuilding social and economic systems after the years of colonial rule and foreign cultural traditions.

Student accommodation, media literacy and internet access remain absolute requirements for success. If the pandemic cuts off students access to the internet, the gaps we as instructors dream of narrowing will widen, with the most at-risk students falling through. That is as true here, in this beautiful place, as it is everywhere else in the world.

Geoff Goodman is an English teacher in the liberal arts department of the College of the Marshall Islands, a US-accredited and funded community college.

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Online education can strand the disadvantaged on a Pacific island - Times Higher Education (THE)

Timeline for Grants Moved up in Response to Pandemic; Applications Will Be Accepted Starting Today

MADISON, Wis. June 10, 2020 Charter Communications, Inc. today announced applications are now being accepted for the companys 2020 Spectrum Digital Education grant program, which supports nonprofit organizations that educate community members on the benefits of broadband and how to use it in their lives. Applications are available atcorporate.charter.com/digital-education/grantsand will be accepted until Friday, June 26, at 5 p.m. EST. Grants will be announced in August and awarded in September.

Charter opened the Spectrum Digital Education application portal two months earlier than planned to help meet the overwhelming need from nonprofit organizations focused on providing broadband training, access and education during the COVID-19 crisis.

As a broadband provider, Charters connectivity services provide a vital link within the communities we serve, more so than ever in this challenging time, said Rahman Khan, Vice President of Community Impact for Charter. We have heard from many organizations struggling to keep up with the demand in their communities for broadband education, training and technology. We are proud to support these nonprofits through Spectrum Digital Education grants and to help meet their evolving needs by accelerating the application process.

Charter launched the Spectrum Digital Education program in 2017 and has since committed to awarding $6 million in cash grants and in-kind donations to support broadband education. Prior awards have allowed local beneficiaries to set up technology labs, provide online education to senior centers, and distribute laptops, impacting 28,845 individuals across 17 states and Washington, D.C., through 2019. To be eligible for a Spectrum Digital Education grant, organizations must serve communities located within Charters 41-state service area and have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. More information on how to apply is availablehere.

In addition to Spectrum Digital Education, Charters Community Impact team has developed several programs to improve local communities. In 2015, it launched its signature program, Spectrum Housing Assist, with the goal of improving 50,000 homes. To date, the company has reached more than 41,000 homes. In 2019, the Spectrum Employee Community Grants program was created to support employees volunteer work at local social and human services nonprofits.Last year, the company donated to 140 organizations across 24 states for this program. In February, Charter announced the launch of the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund which will invest $10 million in capital by the end of 2021, making loans up to $1 million to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the companys footprint. Most recently, Charter launched Spectrum Scholars, a two-year educational program for eligible rising juniors in financial need, which will award a total of $400,000 in scholarships.

About Charter

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) is a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 29 million customers in 41 states through its Spectrum brand. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet, TV, Mobile and Voice.

For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage, sports and high-quality original programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks and Spectrum Originals. More information about Charter can be found atcorporate.charter.com.

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Charter Communications: Launches 2020 digital education grant program, part of $6 million, four-year cash and in-kind commitment to broadband usage...

The state is talking about blended instruction to resume public schools in the fall normal classrooms to some degree, some new emphasis on online instruction.

Here are words of warning about that idea from blogger Cathy Frye, a former journalist who also spent time employed by the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, a Walton-funded nonprofit that also enjoys state support. It has been a stalwart advocate of charter schools and alternatives to conventional public school systems with high accountablity standards.

She writes of the announcement that the Public School Resource Center, the state and Lincoln Learning Solutions will partner on an online learning plan for Arkansas schools in 2020-21.

Free to the school districts! Some money is going from somebody to somebody, but I dont have those details at the moment.

Schools can enroll in Lincoln Learning online courses, be provided training on use of the materials and have access to Lincolns digital library. Whats not to like?

Well, you can see the broader template, for one thing. If this is successful enough, who needs real public schools anymore, with buses, cafeterias, gyms, stadiums, band rooms, special ed teachers and all that other expensive stuff? Education Czar Johnny Key established himself years ago while a senator as a leader of funneling public money to profit-making providers of online education when he pulled a trick in legislative committee to dramatically expand the number of people a private outfit could enroll in its online courses at a rate now approaching $7,000 per head, with none of the usual school overhead. Virtual charter schooling hasnt shown much by way of academic excellence since.

This reads a lot like many more camel noses in the tent of public education. I have no doubt the state will still maintain rigid control of the Little Rock School District even as it throws thousands of other students to the unaccountable digital winds. Be sure any failure of the blended system will be put at the feet of those in the real Arkansas school districts, not the digital curriculum provider.

Frye has more concerns than the outsourcing of education to profiteers unburdened by the higher costs of real public schools.

Lincoln has a track record, specifically in Pennsylvania, where it has undergone an audit by the state that found it had received $110 million over five years from the state. She cites a news article that said curriculum services were delayed and raised questions about how much of the money was spent on students and how much was spent on salaries and administrative costs. Good questions to ask here, too.

Frye argues that the pandemic crisis is being used to achieve in huge leaps in what the billionaire school reformers have been working to achieve incrementally for years: Deconstruction of the conventional model of locally centered, full-service public schools.

Frye urges parents, school boards and school workers to get informed before accepting Johnny Keys tout of this program.

For my part, the move to online instruction is troubling for reasons beyond profiteering by private contractors. We live in a state with low web connectivity, poor people who cant afford computers and a state government with a demonstrated inability to perfect computer delivery systems.

What could go wrong?

Read the rest here:
A warning about the advent of more online public schooling - Arkansas Times

NetEase Games logo is seen above the company's booth one day before the 2019 China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (ChinaJoy) at Shanghai New International Expo Center on August 1, 2019 in Shanghai, China.

VCG | Getty Images

NetEase is a Chinese internet giant but its brand name might not be that well known out of its home market.

The company carried out a secondary listing in Hong Kong on Thursday raising$21.09 billion Hong Kong dollars ($2.7 billion).

Here's a short rundown of the company.

NetEase is the second-largest online gaming firm in China, behind onlyTencent. Most of its revenue comes from this business.

In the first quarter of 2019, NetEase raked in net revenue of 17.1 billion yuan ($2.4 billion), an 18.3% year-on-year rise. Of that, nearly 79% came from online games, both on PC and mobile.

Some of the company's hit titles include the "Fantasy Westward Journey" series and "LifeAfter."

The second major revenue category is what the company calls "innovative businesses and others net revenues," which includes its music streaming service, livestreaming and e-commerce products. This division accounted for over 17% of revenue in the March quarter. NetEase does not break out figures for the individual products.

NetEase also has an online education product, known as Youdao, which accounts for just over 3% of revenue.

But this unit is growing fast. Youdao's revenue was541.4 million yuan ($76.5 million) in the first quarter, a 139.8% rise from the same period in 2019.

NetEase was listed on the Nasdaq in 2000.

On Thursday, it began trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange after carrying out a secondary listing. Each share was priced at 123 Hong Kong dollars. They were higher on the first morning of trade.

The Hong Kong listing comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, which looks to threaten some firms listed on Wall Street, particularly those from the world's second-largest economy. Some politicians in Washington are pushing for greater scrutiny of Chinese firms throughnew proposed legislationthat holds the threat of delisting some of those firms in the U.S.

Part of the money NetEase raised through the Hong Kong listing will be put toward "globalization strategies and opportunities," the company said. Though that international push is quite new, NetEase is looking to accelerate that.

"Encouraged by our success in overseas markets such as Japan, we are more confident and committed than ever to extending our reach internationally," NetEase CEO William Ding said in the company's first quarter earnings report.

NetEase has found success in Japan so far through games such as "Knives Out."

It has also been focusing on striking partnerships with other international brands such as Warner Bros. for the new game "Harry Potter: Magic Awakened," which is based on the story of the boy wizard.

See more here:
What you need to know about NetEase, the Chinese tech giant that raised $2.7 billion in Hong Kong - CNBC

Change is coming a mile a minute these days, and with it, the challenge of transitioning quickly to our current reality as we try to prepare for an unknown future.

One thing we know for sure is that learning never stops. In these unprecedented times, its more important than ever to engage with your world, think critically and learn.

Continuing Studies remains committed to our learning community. Weve been hard at work creating learning opportunities to address your professional development and personal enrichment needs. Many previously in-person classes are now online so you can build the skills and knowledge to keep moving forward. And were adding new programs all the time to help you address this ever-changing world.

For more than a decade, Continuing Studies has been a leader in providing high-quality online education at the University of WisconsinMadison. Our instructors are experts in their fields as well as proficient online educators who bring connection and community to their classes. Our online classes offer breadth and depth in a range of subject areas, in formats ranging from one-on-one training to small discussion groups and traditional lectures.

COVID-19 has brought its share of challenges, but its also offered some exciting new opportunities to bring high-quality education to learners in Wisconsin and beyond. Here are just a few of the many ways our programs are continuing to meet the needs of our learners.

The Summer Institute, featuring internationally recognized dementia care expert Teepa Snow, is now a one-day, live online event on Thursday, July 30. Snow will share her positive approaches to providing physical and emotional support for people living with mid-to-late stage dementia as well as demonstrate these strategies. In addition to this immersive, full-day learning opportunity, Snow will also offer a free online community presentation on best practices in dementia care on July 9 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Our Grief Support Specialist Certificate is more relevant than ever, and the next session begins on July 10. Delivered online, this flexible eight-week program is the only such certificate granted by a major university. Participants learn to counsel people who have suffered from a major loss and participate in facilitated discussions with renowned experts in the fields of addiction, therapy, psychology and grief education.

Build skills and express creativity with our classes in dance, music and visual arts. Youll find beginner offerings like Introductory Ballet, along with classes for more advanced learners, such as the new offering in Django Reinhardt Guitar. Visual artists can explore fundamentals classes in subjects like Drawing: Classical Approach, as well as some more unusual classes like Puppet Making and Performance, a one-day online workshop taught by interdisciplinary artist and puppeteer Anwar Floyd-Pruitt.

Our Languages program has long offered online classes in in reading and translation, and were excited to add new classes for those who are at the beginning of their language journey. Spanish language learners in Brush Up the Basics or Brush Up Past Tenses gain practical experience to grow your command of basic language skills and keep you moving forward.

If there was ever a moment that called for thoughtful, careful leadership, this is it. Our program has pivoted quickly to meet the needs of new and experienced leaders by transitioning classes online and incorporating new learning strategies. Join Encouraging a Culture of Civility and Respect to learn practical strategies for building respectful teams, or Leading at a Distance to gain skills for building trust, navigating conflict and conducting engaging meetings with virtual teams.

Were proud that our writing program has been a leader in online education for a long time, and we know many people are turning to writing to capture and make sense of this tumultuous time. Whatever your reasons, Creative Nonfiction a particularly hot topic these days or Let Your Characters Write the Novel for You, taught by Writers Institute favorite Angela Rydell, can help you meet your writing goals.

Dont throw away your shot to join our summer class, Hamilton: An American Story. Youll explore how LinManuel Mirandas masterpiece brings history to life with contemporary music, draws on historical documents, and knits together drama, music, and dance to create compelling musical theater. Register now class starts June 15.

In short, Continuing Studies still offers many opportunities for learning in your professional and personal life. You and the world are changing, and were changing right along with you. Were excited to join you for the journey and explore new opportunities for learning.

Check out our complete class catalog and be on the lookout for new additions for late summer and early fall. We look forward to meeting you in an online class soon. In the meantime, please be safe, support each other and never stop learning.

For more information and to register for classes, please visit our website.

The rest is here:
Continuing Studies offers online summer classes to help meet personal and professional needs - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Last Friday Governor Jay Inslee called for correcting the lack of educational opportunities for African-American families. Here is what he said:

We are now involved in discussions listening to people about their ideas, certainly when it comes to unnecessary police violence, but also all the other manifestations of this problem that have ended up with huge economic inequities, lack of educational opportunities, disproportionate access to health care and all the other things that have affected peoples livesAt 31:30.

The Governor is right. The most effective way to achieve full economic equality is to provide children better educational opportunities. Yet it is well established that African-American children are not well served by the public school system.

A survey by National Public Radio/Robert Wood Johnson/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey shows 64 percent of African American families agree with this statement:

Because of the way the schools operate where I live,African American childrenhere dont have the same chances to get a quality education aswhite children.

The numbers back this up. Each year officials assign children to one of Washingtons 365 state-identified failing public schools. Barely 74 percent of African-American students graduate from high school, compared to 83 percent of white children.

More money is clearly not the answer. Over the last eight years Washington state has increased funding to schools by 102 percent, from $13.5 billion to $27.3 billion. Still the achievement gap remains, and in some school districts has gotten worse.

Right now African American children are being disproportionately hurt by the statewide school closure ordered by the governor in March. The state superintendent now says normal school operations in Fall 2020 is not a viable option.

McKinsey reports that African-American children will lose on average 10 months of learning if school closures and part-time schedules continue into the fall. The report estimates this would increase the achievement gap by 15 to 20 percent. School closures are expected to cost the average K-12 student between $61,000 to $82,000 in lost lifetime earnings. These costs are worse for African American and Hispanic families.

For these reasons state leaders should aggressively expand learning choices for children, especially for African-American families. Charter schools are popular in urban districts with failing traditional schools. Yet Washington has allowed only 14 public charter schools in a system of 2,300 traditional schools. State policy underfunds charter schools. A bill to close the gap by providing charter families with $1,550 per student was voted down just four months ago, though the bill had bipartisan support from all Republicans and a number of urban Democrats.

The governors noble statements should be backed up by action. All students, especially children now sent to failing schools, should be given expanded access to charter schools, tutoring services, scholarship funding and online education. Given how hard families across the state have hit by recent crisis, isnt that the least our leaders can do?

Read this article:
Responding to Governor Inslee's call for more educational opportunities - Washington Policy

Mobility and rehabilitation specialist Ottobock is offering free e-learning modules, videos and tutorials for clinical and technical personnel to continue training in orthopaedic technology and therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Ottobock Global Academy.

Prosthetists, occupational therapists (OTs), physiotherapists and orthopaedic technicians can choose from a broad range of digital courses covering topics such as fitting prostheses, gait training and adjusting orthoses.

Christiane Rauch, Head of the Global Academy, commented: Especially during the time of the corona pandemic, it is important to support our worldwide customers in the best possible way.

We now offer our well-known, comprehensive clinical learning program digitally, without access restrictions, via an online training portal. By doing this, we ensure that the education can be continued globally, independent of time or place.

The online platform offers four training options:

Content such as Clinical gait analysis & intervention or Seating solutions with cushions from Ottobock offer the possibility to refresh, enhance knowledge or discover new topics.

In addition, the live online sessions connect participants on a global level so that they can share their experiences, exchange questions and increase their skills.

To visit the Ottobock Global Academy and access the e-learning content, visit: https://ottobock.com/academy.html

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Free online education available for OTs, physios and orthopaedic technicians - AT Today

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Online classes have found little favour with students, a survey has found, with many of them saying that they are not ready to face examinations based on these lessons. While internals were held for all subjects, just two papers were taught to us via video lecture, said Sanket, a final-year student from a private engineering college in the city.

If the syllabus was completed, it would have benefitted us, but we were forced to read textbooks on our own. Many from our class have returned to their villages. Classes are interrupted, and several even missed their internal examination because they couldnt log in, said Kishore, a final-year student who returned home to Tumakuru during the lockdown.

Although colleges allowed an open-book examination of 90 minutes, several students were unable to make it. A survey by All India Democratic Students Organisation among students of 210 engineering colleges found that they fear online classes are alienating poor students from the learning process. Final-year students are on the threshold, the university should conduct offline classes and examinations for them on priority. The government should waive all student education loans, said Ashwini KS, state president, AIDSO, and Ajay Kamath, state secretary, AIDSO.

Online education can never be a comprehensive model, it can at best become a monologue lecture one, and aid formal education. If it replaces time-tested classroom teaching, it will be a catastrophe. In India, where many have no access to technology, imposing online teaching will be highly discriminatory and anti-poor, said VN Rajashekar, state secretariat member, Save Education Committee.

Visvesvaraya Technological University officials, too, say the problem of connectivity has disallowed several students from answering internal examinations. VTU Vice-Chancellor Karisiddappa admitted that a number of students were unable to attend the internals, due to bandwidth and connectivity issues. Talks are on to allow them a chance to write their examination once college reopens. Offline exams will not be held in a hurry, and will be in consonance with the MHA and AICTE guidelines, he said.

WHAT THEY SAY

Read the rest here:
Students give online classes thumbs down - The New Indian Express

Research Nester has released a report titledOnline EducationMarket Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027which also includes some of the prominent market analyzing parameters such as industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth comparisons, market share comparisons, BPS analysis, SWOT analysis and Porters five force model.

Technological advancements in the recent times have observed phenomenal growth. As other industries, the education industry too has observed drastic changes with the implementation of digital technologies. Digital technology in the educational services industry has evolved the trend of online education, which helps students from around the globe access educational content any time and at any place. As majority of the overall population is dominated by the young generation, which also shares a major share of accessibility to internet and smartphones, and many of them being students, the technological advancements in online education is flourishing rapidly as online education helps students enroll to digital classroom lessons without moving out of their home, office or cities. Moreover, online education system holds no geographic barrier, allowing students from anywhere in the globe to enroll to educational services. Additionally, advancements observed in the interactive teaching methods in the online education system, and the technology being highly cost-effective, is allowing online education systems being rapid adopted by educational institutes. The numerous digital disruptions observed around the globe and the positive impression on the adoption of online education systems are some of the factors anticipated to drive the growth of the global online education market.

Download Sample of This Strategic Report @https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-2350

The globalonline education marketis anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.68% during the forecast period, i.e. 2020-2028. The market is thriving on the back of high flexibility of availing online education at any place and any time, along with the growing availability of internet technologies, which is allowing students from around the globe to access educational information for not being able to enroll into schools and institutions for conventional classroom courses. Further, the global online education market, which was valued at USD 155.62 billion in the year 2018 and is expected to grow by 2.8 times during the assessment period with an absolute & opportunity of USD 283.09 billion and achieve a market value of USD 438.71 billion in the year 2027.

Curious about this latest version of report? Obtain Report Details @ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-2350

Geographically, the global online education market is segmented by five major regions into North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America region. Among these regions, North America is anticipated to hold the largest market share on account of technological advancements and increased usage of internet, cell phones and tablets in the region, along with rising number of educational institutions who are investing massively for shifting to digital education from traditional education. Asia Pacific is anticipated to gain significant market share on account of presence of nations such as China, India, Malaysia and others where remarkable investments have been observed in the development of IT infrastructure as well as n the online education industry, which also includes learning management systems. Factors such as introduction of new and effective digitization of textbooks in academic sectors, added with the promotion of e-learning in Middle East by providing tablets and laptops to students in educational institutes are anticipated to promote the growth of the online education market in Middle East and Africa.

However, concerns for the quality of education impacted negatively due to the factors such as imbibition of theoretical knowledge and lack of practical knowledge, low control over students for the teacher, lack of online education solutions for the deaf and dumb and others are estimated to act as a barrier to the growth of the global online education market.

This report also studies existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global online education market, which includes profiling of Pearson plc (LON: PSON), McGraw Hill and Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) among others. Moreover, numerous players are also expanding their business in theonline education marketworldwide. Additionally, several educational institutes and key players in the online education market are also offering access to students to online education platforms from around the world on account of the recent outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The nations observing restrictions in movement of people and lock-down is letting the shift in such services.

Curious about this latest version of report? Obtain Report Details @ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-2350

The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which comprises of business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. Conclusively, the report titledOnline EducationMarket Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027, analyses the overall online education industry to help new entrants to understand the details of the market. In addition to that, this report also guides existing players looking for expansion and major investors looking for investment in the global online education market in the near future.

About Research Nester

Research Nester is a leading service provider for strategic market research and consulting. We aim to provide unbiased, unparalleled market insights and industry analysis to help industries, conglomerates and executives to take wise decisions for their future marketing strategy, expansion and investment, etc. We believe every business can expand to its new horizon, provided a right guidance at a right time is available through strategic minds. Our out of box thinking helps our clients to take wise decision so as to avoid future uncertainties.

Contact Us

AJ Daniel Email:[emailprotected] U.S. Phone: [+1 646 586 9123] U.K. Phone: [+44 203 608 591]

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Online Education Market To Expand with Growing Digital Disruption Worldwide By a CAGR of 12.68% Throughout 2020-2027 - Cole of Duty

Lockdowns to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed many challenges for school education globally, and India is no exception.

The COVID-19 pandemic, due to its unprecedented scale and unique response strategies, has had a critical impact on childrens education, particularly of those from marginalised sections. Besides the disruption in the school year, there is a risk that prolonged out-of-school learning may lead to alienation of children from school systems and exacerbation of existing inequalities. We could see disruptions in continuity of schooling for girls and children of those who migrated back from urban to rural areas after losing livelihoods, post the abrupt imposition of the lockdown.

The extent of impact of the lockdown on schools, community and children is proportionally very high. India has 1.4 million schools, 2.01 million children enrolled in government schools from Standard 1-8 and an additional 3.8 million children enrolled in Standard 9-10, according to the Udise report on school education in India, 2016-2017. Approximately 29% of Indias population are children, and 19.29 % is in the age group of 6-14 years. This group is legally entitled to education under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Indias multilayered society has always needed a strong public education system incorporating a holistic vision to achieve universalisation of education while also establishing a discrimination-free education system. However, this didnt receive adequate attention from policy-makers. Now, the pandemic has magnified inequalities like never before.

Previous health emergencies also demonstrate that the impact on education is likely to be most devastating in countries where there are already low learning outcomes, high drop-out rates and low resilience to shocks.Despite increase in public awareness and aspiration to get children educated, as well as increased enrolment of children in schools post RTE Act 2009, Indias learning crisis remains grave. The Delhi-based ASER Centres Annual Status of Education reports and many other sources have highlighted this time and again. The National Sample Survey of Estimation of Out-of-School Children report submitted to the ministry of human resource development in 2014 revealed that 6 million children were still out of school.

Also read: Heres How We Can Gear up to Open Schools After the Lockdown

A look at previous emergencies in the country reveal direct and indirect impacts of natural disasters on school education. Direct impacts include destruction of school buildings and damage to roads connecting to schools, resulting in uncertainty of reopening and irregular attendance. Indirect impacts include long-term closure of a school due to temporary conversion of school building to a rehabilitation centre, silent exclusion of children belonging to families in distress through displacement or migration, resulting in child labour, child marriage and child trafficking, a 2017 study by Azim Premji Univeristy found. But resilience is still not a development priority in India as 76% of the 100 smart cities, including Delhi, lie in zones that are at medium to high risk of floods, earthquakes and winds or all three, according to an essay in Disaster Risk Governance in India and Cross Cutting Issues, edited by Indrajit Pal and Rajib Shaw, 2018.

Retrofitting schools and other institutions like hospitals comes with a cost post-disaster, according to the same book. It is astonishing that dialogue between different stakeholders on building a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plan is still not a development priority in India, finds the book. Even though COVID-19 is different from previous emergencies on many counts, it is disturbing to see no preparation despite its outbreak in China in the two months before it fully hit India. The lack of resilience and a DRR approach in the country will lead to catastrophic outcomes, some of which are already becoming visible.

The National Commission for Protection of Children Rights (NCPCR), which is the primary monitoring agency of the RTE Act 2009, has seen a huge swell in the number of complaints it has redressed before the lockdown. In the previous year, the NCPCR addressed around 5,000 complaints; post-outbreak (beginning March 2020), this has increased about 8-fold.

School teachers have also been impacted immensely. Indias school education system includes 10,93,166 contractual teachers at the elementary level. Delhi alone has approximately 29,000 such contractual teachers. These teachers, in many states like Bihar and Delhi, were not receiving their salary for several months even before the pandemic broke out.

Also read: DU Should Cancel Open Book Exams, Spare Students of Final Cuts of Trauma

The coming of the pandemic has made their situation bleaker. Delhi government orders show that contracts have been extended only till the announcement of the next vacation (May 11-June 31, 2020), without any mention of the rest of the year. This has made contractual teachers uncertain about continued employment. Despite all these difficulties, teachers are playing a significant role during the lockdown. Wherever schools have been used as a relief distribution centre, all teachers irrespective of position are providing services from morning till night. In Delhi itself, ration and relief is being distributed in more than 250 schools. If any contractual teacher is not providing services, they are not getting paid at all.

Lack of infrastructure in schools is another major challenge in these COVID times, which will impact continuing school education. The RTE Act brought a normative framework to ensure quality and equity in elementary education. However, even after 11 years, less than 12% schools are RTE-compliant. Lack of safe drinking water, toilets, hand-washing facility, electricity and cramped classrooms means schools dont have the prerequisites to reopen. Further, due to closure of many government schools in several states, as part of a consolidation policy, numerous government primary schools do not fall within the RTE Act requirement that they lie within 1 km from the habitation of all students, which also forms one of the basic principles for reopening schools.

Lack of schools, infrastructure and teaching and non-teaching staff including sanitation workers will impact childrens education immensely, during and post-COVID. Further, participation of community, school management committees and local institutions needs to be increased so that local needs and voices are well-represented. Physical distancing, sanitisation and other guidelines for prevention of infection, should be strictly followed for their safety and of others.

Schools are more than learning centres for poor children. They provide social protection, nutrition, health and emotional support to the most disadvantaged, and this applies in all countries, from low- to high-income. About 9.12 crore Indian children are not receiving their mid-day meal during school closure. These meals served as an important safety measure, as economists estimate that 75% of poor families income is spent on food. Further, lawyers have written to the Chief Justice of India to take sou moto notice of rise in cases of child abuse during the lockdown, which highlights that school also acts as a safe space for many children even today.

The big changes to school education in the COVID-19 scenario that the government has announced digital and online education, attendance of 30-40% children after reopening of schools, subsidy to private schools, to name a few is another concern which will have a huge impact on children coming from vulnerable sections. National Sample Survey Office 2014-2015 data clearly shows economic factors as key to children dropping out of school.

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The pandemic and lockdown has impacted 14 lakh migrant workers as well as others working in the unorganised sector (90% of Indias population is engaged in unorganised work). It has impacted the poor adversely across the globe. In such a situation, blatant emphasis on technology-driven education will exclude many children in this country from continuing school education. Besides infrastructural challenges, India is a diverse and multilingual country. Various dialects, various contexts and diverse lived experiences are what a classroom in India brings together. The one nation, one channel or one digital framework needs to be reconceptualised to ensure equity and quality in education.

The return of children to schools in the above circumstances will bring a new normal, set by the outbreak of the pandemic. Social policy and response during the pandemic will mark the lives of children. On one hand, the school space was used for the benefit of the whole community/public, blurring the gaps between the community and school, and on the other hand community participation was reduced by social/physical distancing and limited movement from the close precincts of homes. On one hand, the country came together on several occasions to show solidarity and, on the other, fellow villagers were attacked in their own village after painstakingly reaching home, often on foot.

In this new normal, changed behaviour of people and changed centralised norms and guidelines could lead to a situation where forms of governance and participation may change. Virtualisation of teaching may impact the social relation between peers, teachers and school and community on the whole. The social class gap between the teachers and students may widen after the school reopens post-lockdown. What would be the everyday experience of children and their response to these changed realities?

The latest Draft New Education Policy (DNEP) 2019, being finalised since long, certainly requires revision in this context. If the new normal becomes the norm, the policy will need to situate equity, inclusion and diversity in the new frame of things. A one nation, one channel or one digital framework will not be able to translate the goal set by the DNEP into action. Further, this will also create barriers to India achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG4 on quality education, which now ever more than before needs to be looked at along with SDG1 (no poverty) 2 (zero hunger), 3 (good health and well-being), 5 (gender equality), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 17 (partnership for the goals).

Also read: Is Social Distancing Feasible for a Majority of Schools in India?

The DNEP requires revisions to address the following concerns: Strengthening of the normative framework of the RTE Act instead of restricting it; access, equity and diversity of language and lived experiences so that all children are well within the school education system; trained and permanent teachers whose agency is recognised; adequate resilient schools and infrastructure; and, most importantly, participation of local authorities and community so that children coming from vulnerable families, particularly SC/STs, Muslims and girls are not left out.

This will also prepare school systems to face such pandemics in the future more efficiently and without prolonged disruption, as well as move towards building a strong public education system in the country. COVID-19 did teach us how schooling is not equivalent to merely learning, but encompasses a social space, a social process, to learn to live, think and act for ones self and the collective good.

Aparajita Sharma is assistant professor, Council for Social Development, and a Right to Education enthusiast.

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COVID-19 Lockdown Lessons and the Need to Reconsider Draft New Education Policy - The Wire