The risks we face are becoming more interconnected as the world becomes more interconnected. The COVID-19 pandemic has crossed national boundaries and is still spreading. It has impacted citizens of all nationalities, educational levels, income levels, and genders. However, the same cannot be said for the repercussions, which have disproportionately impacted the most disadvantaged.
Education is no exception. Students from affluent backgrounds, with the help of their parents and a desire to learn, may be able to find their way through closed school doors to other learning opportunities. When schools closed, many from low-income families were often left out.
This crisis has brought to light a number of flaws and inequities in our educational systems, ranging from a lack of access to the broadband and computers required for online learning, to the lack of supportive environments required to concentrate on learning, to a misalignment of resources and needs.
As a result of the lockdowns in response to COVID-19, traditional education has been disrupted, with nationwide school closures. Although educators have worked hard to preserve learning consistency throughout this period, children and students have had to rely more on their own tools to continue learning remotely through the Internet, television, or radio. Teachers had to adjust to new pedagogical principles and modes of delivery that they might not have been prepared for. Learners from the most marginalized communities, who lack access to digital learning opportunities or the resilience and engagement to learn on their own, are particularly vulnerable to falling behind.
Higher education has also been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with with universities swift to replace face-to-face lectures with online learning, the closures had an effect on learning and board examinations. Perhaps most notably, the crisis poses concerns about the importance of a university education, which encompasses both educational content and networking and social opportunities. Universities will need to rethink their learning environments so that digitalisation extends and complements student-teacher and other relationships in order to stay relevant.
Reference: Andreas Schleicher
