Vijay Garg
The year 2020 will be remembered as the year of New Normals, in very sphere including education. Students had the longest break from campus they had ever Imagined. COVID-19 pandemic ended the daily ritual of painful walking up, getting ready and spending a whole day with books, teachers and classmates. The academic calendar turned topsy-turvy and students found themselves in the quagmire of chaotic education system.
Here’s recalling the things that changed the Indian Education scenario in 2020
1)Virtual Classroom:
Since the beginning of the lockdown in March, campuses across the country were shut down. To continue the academic session,all academic institutions-from kindergarten to universities-switched to virtual classrooms. Most institutions to lacked the infrastructure to take digital classes while some had previous experience on this platform. Teachers struggled to learn how to deliver lectures on digital platform.
2) Digital-friendly curriculum
Syllabuses went through a sea change. Text-book teaching meant for brick-and-mortar classrooms had to be turned into an online-friendly format.
Although the UGC allowed online classes in all 900 universities, india struggled with e-learning.
3) Many left in lurch without access to Internet
Internet connectivity was another hurdle.with no high speed internet and no access to digital gadget meant students in larger parts of semi urban and rural india were groping in the dark. With already 32 million out of school children before the pandemic ; digital created an even greater rift between education and rural students.
4) Key word of 2020-‘Webinar’
As students and teachers remained indoors. Everyone turned to webinars, or online seminars,schools, colleges, universities, learning platforms, academic websites, education companies – everyone conducted webinars to create awareness about anything ranging from life skills, career guidance, mental health and so on.
5) Board Exams gone haywire
Many board examinations were pushed back, CBSE class X and XII, and ICSE and ISC exams were rescheduled as were several state boards tests.
Many boards decided on lenient checking of answers scripts . The supreme court approved the formula for assessment of examinees for exams that the CBSR cancelled. Entrances examinations like JEE Main ,GUJCET and NEET were postponed.
