Impact Of COVID-19 On Children And Their Learning Experience
Kathmandu, 29 May / Kamal Jit : Young children are the hardest hit by the condition of the world. In their age of growing and developing new skills, they have to stay at homes and that can be a great hindrance to their growth and development. Hence, it is the duty of the parents to take good care of them and provide them a suitable learning environment at homes and provide all the opportunities to grow and get better every day.
Major challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced everyone to cope with major changes in everyday life. The associated physical distancing and home confinement are difficult for us all to manage. Research shows that even children as young as two are aware of changes around them. Understandably, it is a balancing act for many working from home with family and trying to create a structure and some sense of normality. It is also very important for parents and caregivers to take care of their own mental health and wellbeing. Children take their cues from parents and seeing them respond to a situation calmly and confidently can provide great comfort.
Educational institutes are shut and it’s not possible to go out and learn new skills, but that doesn’t mean students should be deprived of learning new things and exploring new fields and activities. Parents should enroll their children in online classes provided by verified institutions and certified professionals.
This rapid evolution at such a large scale has influenced the students of all age groups. It is expected that the continued spread of the disease, travel restrictions and the closure of educational institutions across the country would have a significant effect on the education, social life, and mental health of students. The students from the less privileged backgrounds have experienced larger negative impacts due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Reduction in family income, limited access to digital resources, and the high cost of internet connectivity have disrupted the academic life of the students. Moreover, 1.5 billion students across the world are now deprived of basic education, leading to a serious psychological impact on their health. Changes in daily routines, including lack of outdoor activity, disturbed sleeping patterns and social distancing, have affected the mental wellbeing of the students.
It is investigated and analysed the potential consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the life of students. Our research shows that there is a wide gap between the government’s policy aspirations and the implementation of these online education policies at the grassroots level. Moreover, our study attempts to assess the mental situation of students of different age groups using different parameters including sleeping habits, daily fitness routine, and social support. Further, we analyse different coping mechanisms used by students to deal with the current situation.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has upended the lives of all people in the society. One of the most immediate changes introduced was the closure of educational institutions to slow the transmission of the virus. In order to prevent further interruption of studies, new teaching methods for the online delivery of education have been applied. However, these measures can have long-term consequences on the lives of students. Therefore, there is a strong need to record and study the effects of the changes being made.
Limited class interactions and inefficient time table significantly affected the satisfaction levels of students. The peer-to-peer impact of the school environment motivates individuals to work hard and learn social skills, which may not be possible in an online setting. Moreover, the biggest challenge for online learning is the requirement of efficient digital infrastructure and digital skillset for both students and teachers.
Once the COVID-19 pandemic ends and educational institutions reopen, the concerned authorities should continue to invest in online education to enhance learning experience. They should carefully analyse the issues experienced during the transition to online learning and prepare for any future situations. Proper training of educators for the digital skills and improved student-teacher interaction must be conducted. For disadvantaged students, availability of digital infrastructure with proper internet availability and access to gadgets must be ensured to avoid any disruption to their study.
Due to the unfavourable situation during this global public health crisis, many students are likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression. So it is necessary to provide emotional support to students. Future work in this direction could be to analyse the association of different stress busters on the mental health of the students. In addition, guidelines should be created to anticipate the needs of the vulnerable students. Improved healthcare management would ensure the delivery of mental health support.
Need of preparedness
Our findings have indicated that the COVID-19 outbreak has made a significant impact on the mental health, education, and daily routine of students. The pandemic-related interruptions highlight key challenges and provide an opportunity to further evaluate alternate measures in the education sector. The new policies and guidelines in this direction would help mitigate some of the negative effects and prepare educators and students for the future health crisis.
(The writer works as a teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kathmandu.)
