As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, so do the risks we face. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped at national borders. It has affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. But the same has not been true for its consequences, which have hit the most vulnerable hardest. Education is no exception. Students from privileged backgrounds, supported by their parents and eager and able to learn, could find their way past closed school doors to alternative learning opportunities. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds often remained shut out when their schools shut down. This crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequities in our education systems – from access to the broadband and computers needed for online education, and the supportive environments needed to focus on learning, up to the misalignment between resources and needs. Education is a constitutional right of every individual that helps an individual to play his role as a sophisticated member of society Education has the potential to revolutionize the course of a nation with its skilled and educated youths. A nation comprises a higher rate to achieve its targeted economic growth and sit among the league known as the developed nation. A well-educated nation discards any kind of hindrance and obstacles that hinder its growth and development and strives hard to attain sustainable development. Educational system teaches us how to obtain and develop critical and logical thinking and make independent decisions. When people are educated, they can significantly contribute to their families and as well as to their society in various aspects and fields in various forms, thus creating a stable, modern and a stimulating community. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the educational system has been hit badly and students have suffered a lot. The school, colleges and universities have been shut since then and we have shifted to online mode of education. Although online classes are very much helpful but surely not the type of education we will want. The difference of atmosphere between the virtual and physical education is very much visible and one will definitely want offline classes so as to understand and experiment what he is being taught. If we talk of Kashmir in particular, the education has always been the worst victim of the prevailing circumstances. It has always remained at the receiving end and has been pushed to the wall. May it be because of the agitations of 2008, 2010 and 2016, devastating floods of September 2014 or abrogation of the article 35-A and 370, which almost handicapped the education system of the valley for more than 8 months, education over here was badly hit consequently leading to a state of mental depression and sense of despair among people and especially the students of Jammu and Kashmir.
As Covid cases continue to surge in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, forced the administration to close all private institutions colleges, schools, polytechnics, ITIs, and coaching centers for civil services, engineering, or NEET adopt an online medium of teaching. The administration should re-think about its decision as students have been attending virtual classes since the outbreak of the pandemic. When administration is allowing public parks, shopping malls, gym centers and winter games, new year celebration at Gulmarg etc. Then why educational institutions are forced to be closed. When it is allowing a gathering of upto 25 people, why institutions can’t function smoothly by following proper SOPs and maintaining a proper physical distance. It is only Teacher, who can inculcate the habit of discipline and Social Distancing among the students. Administration should devise a way for the smooth functioning of the educational institutions, by implementing odd even formula, by lessening the classroom capacity and somehow get our handicapped education system back on the track. As per my opinion in upcoming days new variants of COVID 19 will be spotted so we must adopt ourselves in such a way that this Covid shouldn’t effect our education system which has always became worst victim due to Covid 19 or any agitation in the UT of J&K. As per UNICEF “Nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible. When COVID-19 community transmission increases and stringent public health measures become a necessity, schools must be the last places to close and the first to re-open”. So those at the helm of the affairs should try that schools should be last in the line to be closed. The administration should take a serious look into this matter and should think and rethink to stop this generational catastrophe.
(The author is pursuing BSc. Hons. in Botany at Islamia College of science and commerce Srinagar. Views expressed are exclusively his own )
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