The availability of information and technology makes online education a better option. But we need new policies to develop and integrate ed-tech and life skills into the curriculum, says Neil Binoy

The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively rendered most forms of education obsolete. It has brought a relatively new form of education — online. The common forms of parting this education, Zoom and Google classrooms are championing the battlefields, but it has been a harrowing time for many students and teachers to adapt to the new system, especially with the suddenness of cut-offs. Over 1.2 billion students in over 180 countries are now out of school and are affected by the school closures. All schoolgoers are turning to what was once just another tool in a vast repertoire but now turns up as the only tool available; the online education. As per the latest UNICEF report, one in three children worldwide do not have access to the internet, summing up to a grand total of over two billion children without the means to access their education.

However, despite these depressing statistics, the pandemic has had some positive impact as well. EdTech seems to be rising steadily, and the industry is gearing up to hit 350 billion USD worth in the next five years. With Open Source Education like Khan Academy and YouTube, millions of lives are transforming for free. During the pandemic, we are finding ourself with more time on our hands, and various people are turning to courses on sites like EdX, Udemy and Coursera to earn certifications. 

The practise of reading frequently has increased, under the fiercely watchful eyes of at-home parents and buffeted by the fact that many children are cut off from most activities, like extended television sprees, or any outdoor activity. It has proven a solace and many became accidental readers. From Mahatma Gandhi to Nelson Mandela, Obama to Nehru, Bill Gates to Elon Musk, Anne Frank to Greta Thunberg, there is one thing they have all in common: reading. Gates has reported devoting much of his day to reading, even opening a section in his website GatesNotes, devoted entirely to his musings on books. School children could start with storybooks before they get into further reading. Through this column, I intend to introduce a book every fortnight for kids to encourage them to read. This week, I would recommend a book I had read and reviewed recently — Unfair by Rasil Ahuja. Set in the sweltering suburbs of Delhi, the book explores discrimination in our schooling system. It is a perfect pick for beginners.

Issues such as safety, high fees and peer pressure have made the educated parents opt for more reliable home schooling. From one million in two decades to the two million children currently registered in the NIOS evidence it. The availability of information online and technology make this form of education a better option. The government should formulate new education policies, to evolve itself, to develop and integrate ed-tech and life-skills into its curriculum. Ranjitsingh Disale recently won the million-dollar Global Teacher’s Prize. This Maharashtrian teacher learned Kannada and converted the school textbooks into a more digestible structure for his students. Utilising QR codes, interactive, lively teaching, and technology like tablets, mobile phones and computers, he has transformed the lives of his students. If an individual teacher can embrace such novel education methods, why can’t the governments do the same? Well, secure internet access and devices to empower the children in remote and rural areas would be a good start, but only a start. As Queen Rania of Jordan says, “In education, technology can be a life-changer, a game-changer, for kids who are both in school and out of school.”

(The writer is founder of Voice of Kids and Gold medal winner at the International English Olympiad.)