‘Equality of Opportunity’ is one of the basic principles of the Indian Constitution. Shifting to a system that benefits only a section of people and leaves behind the neediest ruins the very notion of this statement. Moreover, digital education is something where India is not successful yet. There is still a lot to do in terms of checking if students’ entitlements are not being compromised or in providing meaningful academic curriculum alternatives.
Way Forward
- A Multi-Pronged Approach: Flexible rescheduling the academic timetable and exploring options in collaboration with schools, teachers, and parents for providing access to education to a larger section of students.
- Staggering teacher-student interactions in physical mode with not more than 50% of the total strength attending schools on alternate days.
- Giving priority to the less advantaged students who do not have access to e-learning.
- Genuine efforts must be invested to ensure every child gets good quality equitable education as a fundamental right.
- Making Online Education More Effective: Shorter but quality discussions rather than long hours of monotonous sitting and one-way communication, should be preferred.
- The teacher’s role has to go beyond just being in control of the class to being a facilitator for the transfer of knowledge.
- Focussing more on Knowledge Aspect: Education is not about competence but more about motivation. The students are meant to discover not just cover the syllabus.
- The system should not just heartlessly push the students and teachers in only finishing the course regardless of any gain of knowledge, stress should be upon quality learning and not quantity cramming.
