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Expert Comment

After the pandemic: shaping a

new roadmap

KRISHNA KUMAR

O SAY THAT POST-COVID PROBLEMS IN There’s no indication yet that a com-
education present an opportunity to reform the
system is to beguile oneself. Calamities demand mittee will assess the different types of
Tcoping first, and our education establishment did adverse impacts the pandemic has made
not do well in coping with the pandemic. Shutting down on institutions, parents and children.
schools, colleges and universities for long, indefinite peri-
ods is hardly an example of coping well. It demonstrated Such an inquiry must constitute the first
cluelessness together with indifference to children and
youth. In the case of universities, there has also been an step to shape a roadmap
element of relief, that if students remain at home, cam-
puses will be peaceful. pandemic.
A blanket shut-down policy also revealed how cen- Teachers have passed through a difficult time. Theirs
tralised the system is. This isn’t news, of course, but it is a weak, low-status profession. During the pandemic,
reminds us not to relent on the goal of decentralisation. the profession became weaker as teachers experienced
It calls for trust in decision-taking at the local and/or further erosion of their dignity. Some of my former stu-
institutional level. Movement in that direction will be a dents who hold permanent posts in Delhi’s government
positive outcome of the pandemic. The policy on re- schools were ordered to serve at the airport, check trucks
opening school campuses followed a ham-fisted line: all- on highways and man the gates of public parks to per-
or-nothing. An almost permanent closure of schools and suade morning walkers to get vaccinated. Many primary
colleges from March 2020 onward provided a justifiable teachers were deputed to help medical staff at vaccination
veneer for promoting online teaching at all levels. Edtech centres. Throughout the prolonged shutdown of schools,
companies took over, and the state chose to lose sight all teachers, including those serving in prestigious private
of the plight in which millions of poorer children found schools, were made to take online classes and check
themselves. Their parents couldn’t afford a necessary de- homework on WhatsApp. They knew that four hours of
vice like a laptop to receive online lessons. In fact, many screen time would harm primary children, but they had
state governments distributed smart phones as if they are little choice. They were helpless servants crushed between
substitutes for computers. The absence of reliable con- government directorates and school authorities.
nectivity was also ignored. t will be a tall order to restore teachers’ dignity and give
Education equality, thus ceased to be a policy goal. Ithem autonomy to devise ways to help children re-
Its pursuit was already weak, given the vast gap among establish a semblance of normalcy in their disrupted lives.
different exam boards and institutions. To make matters Many will require specific help to get de-addicted from
worse, an unknown number of low-fees levying private screen gazing. Staff size will have to be enhanced in every
schools closed down. Attempts to persuade government school and long-standing vacancies filled up in govern-
to provide them financial relief failed to get a response in ment schools. A large number of private schools that
the recently announced Union Budget 2022-23. A similar depend on tuition fees had to close down. As I mentioned
silence prevails over enhanced resources for government earlier, many children have shifted from these schools
schools that have accommodated children from closed to government schools whose resources were already
down private schools. There’s no indication yet that a limited. Funds will have to be found to cope with this
committee will assess the different types of adverse im- situation.
pacts the pandemic has made on institutions, parents and A policy document prepared by the Union government
children. Such an inquiry must constitute the first step if during the pandemic will require radical review to ad-
we want to shape a roadmap. dress the post-pandemic situation. Many of the recom-
Several non-government organisations have tried to mendations need a second look in any case. Moreover,
assess the impact of prolonged schools closure and home a review will have worth only if it is conducted with the
confinement on children. Their physical and mental active participation of state governments and private
health problems need large-scale studies. The learning schools. The document has not gone through either a par-
loss they have suffered also needs assessment before liamentary debate or a discussion at the Central Advisory
being addressed. This is a formidable academic task for Board of Education (CABE). These missed steps can now
schools and higher level institutions. Managing this situ- be taken after a review to assess how the post-pandemic
ation is not merely a pedagogic issue; the deeper issue is reality can be addressed.
the restoration of children’s confidence. A comprehensive
plan is required to figure out the multiple dimensions of (Dr. Krishna Kumar is former director of NCERT and former professor of
various problems caused by policies adopted during the education at Delhi University)

26 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2022