Page 67 - EW July 2021 final

SPECIAL ESSAY

How to Prepare for

Post-Pandemic Education?

ore than a year after the students to receive education amid this crisis.
outbreak of the pandemic, With a large number of 265 million students
nearly half of the students enrolled in Indian schools using edtech apps
Mworldwide remain affected amid the pandemic, investors from around
by intermittent school closures, according the world have made a beeline to pump their
to the United Nations Educational, Scientific money into such platforms. A stellar example
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The is the rise of Bengaluru-based BYJU’S which
pandemic has severely disrupted lives of became the world’s most highly valued edtech
university teachers and 38.5 million students company. At $16.5 billion valuation, BYJU’S
enrolled in India’s higher education as well, recently also wore the crown of India’s most
forcing them to enter into an undefined period valuable unicorn start-up. Another edtech Professor Arjya B. Majumdar
of online learning. platform, Unacademy, became a unicorn in
A large number of current and prospective 2020. Planned Intervention in Virtual Learning and
international students have suddenly found Overall, Indian edtech startups attracted Online Teaching. These efforts led to round-
themselves confined to their homes instead $2.22 billion investment in 2020 compared to the-clock technology support for both teachers
of experiencing the campus life of their dream just $553 million in 2019, according to data and students, leading to seamless transition to
university. At the same time, as Covid-19 from Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital online classes when the pandemic demanded.
rendered hundreds and thousands of people Association and PGA Labs. A recent report by This is the reason why JGU was awarded
jobless, the appeal of online courses offered at analysts at Bernstein estimates that India’s the coveted QS I-GAUGE ‘E-Learning
platforms such as Coursera, FutureLearn and online education market will grow from $1 Excellence for Academic Digitisation
upGrad has substantially increased among billion in 2020 to $19.7 billion by 2030. (E-LEAD)’ Certification in 2020, further
those who wish to rebuild their career. Challenges of Online Learning renewed in 2021. In 2020, JGU conducted
While research on the effects of online While some research suggests that online 20,000 online classes, 1,250 unique online
classes is still ongoing, the question that learning helps students to retain more examinations and 1,500 webinars. Moreover,
everyone has on mind now is this: what form information, challenges associated with the university quickly transformed its Global
will learning take when normalcy returns and remote learning are many. In a country like Library which now includes thousands of
schools and colleges everywhere reopen? India where more than half of the population electronic journals, e-books, online reports
The question is particularly pertinent at this are not even active Internet users, online and other e-learning resources.
juncture when ramping up of the vaccination learning puts a vast majority at a great In a bid to make its programmes more
drive has raised hope of in-person classes at disadvantage. Even those who can get access accessible to working professional and other
schools, colleges and universities becoming to online learning face numerous challenges. students in India and around the world, JGU
the norm again in the near future. This is because classroom lessons are recently partnered with Coursera to launch
The probability that a large section of not enough for proper personal growth of three Master’s degree programmes -- MBA
students and working professionals may college students. The environment that a in Business Analytics; M.A. in International
continue to prefer remote learning in a post- university creates for its students to learn from Relations, Security and Strategy; and
pandemic world cannot be denied. There is teachers, peers and other academic, sports M.A. in Public Policy. Earlier, the university
also a possibility that future in-person classes and cultural activities cannot be matched launched LLM in Corporate and Financial
will integrate the benefits of online tools for by online learning. Skilling educators in new Law and MBA in Digital Finance and Banking
various purposes, thereby giving rise to a form technologies is another challenge that many in partnership with edtech major upGrad.
of blended learning. How the future will shape institutions face. Thus, while the university remains ready to
up, only time will tell, although the writing on Digital Transformation of Universities welcome its students to its fabulous campus
the wall is now clear that digital tools will play Despite the challenges associated with online as soon as the circumstances permit, it is
a far more important role in our lives than what learning, the pandemic has clearly underlined equally committed to providing its students the
we could probably imagine just a year ago. for universities the importance of investments benefits of latest digital technologies, while
Edtech Boom in digital technologies. And few universities also developing world-class online education
programmes for those who wish to receive
In its latest report on an ongoing survey, have understood it better than O.P. Jindal education through virtual mode even in a post-
global higher education analysts Quacquarelli Global University (JGU). pandemic world.
Symonds (QS) said that more than a third of To ensure online education at JGU is at
current international students are studying par with global standards of excellence, the
remotely from their home country. It just offers university established a new office for Digital Professor Arjya B. Majumdar
a glimpse of how important a role online Learning and Online Education, besides Dean, Admissions & Outreach
technology tools have played in enabling forming a taskforce, called the PIVOT, JGU’s O.P. Jindal Global University

EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2021