Covid Impact On Child Education

Covid Impact On Child Education

Author:- Nazish,  B.A.LL.B. final year, Saraswati Institute of law, Palwal

Introduction-

Education is considered a fundamental right for every child. It means that every child, regardless of their background, should have access to quality education. This right is recognized by international laws and agreements, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It emphasizes the importance of providing children with education that is free, compulsory, and of good quality. The right to education helps children develop their potential, acquire knowledge and skills, and prepare for a brighter future. It is crucial for their personal growth, empowerment, and overall well-being. But not every child has access to this right. In some areas children were already lacking the right to education but right then COVID-19 came into picture and it made the situation even worse. In this article we'll be talking about child education, how covid affects education, schools and after effects of this pandemic, crucial role of governments and international organizations in addressing them. So let's get started!

About Child Education -

Education is a basic human right that's why a  new Article 21A added to our "Indian constitution" through (86th amendment) act 2002 and made education for all children from 6 to 14 years a fundamental right and State is required to provide free of cost education to such age groups. Education develops a sense of dignity and helps in securing the best future for any country.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognised the right to education under article - 26, it calls for free and compulsory elementary education and further it says that the countries shall make higher education accessible to all.

About COVID-19 & How it affects people's lives-

Covid needs no introduction, it's already a well known subject. Still let's look over to its background Covid-19 is a contagious infectious disease that spreads through contact even if it's through liquid droplets from the human mouth(while speaking/singing), sneezes or in any other way; And it spreads all over the world rapidly. By Covid all aspects of life and economy shattered and disturbed. So as happened with the education system schools remain closed for a long period of time due to which they lost time. All over the world schools have adopted online learning sessions. But yes, not everyone could have access to that. It leaves many people in a situation of helplessness and disparity. Job sector of every country also affected badly, many shut their businesses, and many people lost their loved ones. It took the toll of everything as a whole and almost stopped everything within the country and overwhelmed the healthcare sector.

Schools position in this dire situation-

As a result of Covid outbreak, the government implemented temporary lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure public safety, which also resulted in closure of schools. Teachers and students had to adapt to the transition of the online realm. They start scheduling online classes but not every child could have the access to such gadgets or technology. It took some time to adapt to the situation. Many teachers started to look for an alternate job to support their family. Exam schedules and curriculum got disturbed completely, things got stuck in between. Even though online classes were going on, not many of them could focus properly, sometimes due to network issues and sometimes due to other homely disturbances. It put schools in the dilemma of choosing either to conduct exams or not, with preventive measures and precautions they scheduled exams but soon after that rise in COVID-19 cases hiked up so schools had to shut down again. And as a result some students passed based on their average marks from previous exams while others passed without even taking them at all. 

• About 250 million children in India were adversely affected due to lockdowns imposed by the government in response to Covid-19. Several children from less-privileged circumstances ended up dropping out of schools, some were forced to take up jobs in order to support their families who were dealing with pandemic-related deaths and income loss.

• According to UNICEF about 87% of the world’s student population is affected and over 1.5 billion students (of 195 countries) are affected by COVID-19 pandemic school closures. 

Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic-

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on our lives and put us in a new era of challenges and uncertainties. From the global economy to education, healthcare, social dynamics, mental health, work-life balance, and more, effects of COVID-19 pandemic - 

• Closed schools not only threatened their education but also their mental and physical health. 

• Children who rely on their one time school meal, were suffering from not having a proper meal for their survival.

• Disturbed exam schedules and curriculum, many schools face problems while changing curriculum and adapting to this dire situation.

• Children are also involved in "child labour" to assist their family; problems like child marriage and teen pregnancy could also be arises. 

• Closed schools could also lead to violence, abuse and exploitation in one way.

• Damaged the economies of many developing countries.

• Pandemic also affected the low-budget institutions and schools resulting in their permanent closure.

After re-scheduling physical classes now schools are facing challenges to make up for the loss that they suffered while schools were closed. Uganda had the longest school closure in the world, it was about 18 months and lots of students have lost their precious learning time. 

"The Ministry of Education along with stakeholders including UNICEF had to agree on a mechanism to recover the lost time and so that is when the 'Abridged Curriculum' came on board. A curriculum that was designed to help us save on the time that we'd lost, in order to cover more in a shorter time" said -Sambey Logira - UNICEF education specialist. 

Role of Government and International organization-

Government and international organizations play a crucial role in securing their people. So, let's take a look at the initiatives taken by them.

Indian Government's Role-

The Government of India consistently took steps to respond to COVID-19. Various measures have been taken up by the government to counter the pandemic. Education is a concurrent list subject. So both Central and State governments can make provisions related to the subject. To ensure that every student gets continued access to education, a comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA has been initiated as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan on 17th May, 2020.  The initiative includes-

• DIKSHA (one nation one, one digital platform) is the nation's digital infrastructure that provides quality e content for all grades of school education along with the local needs.

• There is one designated Swayam Prabha TV channel for each class from Class 1 to 12 (one class, one channel).

• Use of Community radios and CBSE podcasts - Shiksha Vani.

• Special e-content for visually and hearing impaired developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube.

 Government extended financial support to the states so that they can combat COVID-19 effectively. In 2021, a report by the Union education ministry said that 2.9 crore students across 24 states and UTs didn't have access to digital devices, which is even disadvantageous to them. 

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal khattar launched the E-adhigam scheme under which 3 lakh digital tablets were distributed to students of classes 10th and 12th across 119 blocks in the state of Haryana.

Role of international organizations-

International organizations have played a crucial role in COVID-19 crisis by supporting children's education and learning. They have provided resources, funding, and guidance to ensure continuity of education during these challenging times. Organizations that have been actively supporting children and learning during the COVID-19 crisis include UNICEF, UNESCO, Save the Children, World Bank, Global Partnership for Education, OECD, etc. 

• UNICEF, also known as the United Nations Children's Fund, has been actively involved in providing educational support to children during the COVID-19 crisis. They have been working with partners  to provide every child or young person access to remote learning opportunities, distributing learning materials, and promoting safe and inclusive learning environments. Their goal is to provide this digital access by 2030.

• UNESCO, along with its partners have been focusing on coordinating international efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on education. They have been providing guidance, facilitating collaboration, and advocating for the continuity of learning for children worldwide.

• The OECD, or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, has also played a significant role in the COVID-19 crisis. They have been providing policy recommendations and guidance to member countries to address the educational challenges caused by the pandemic. Their focus has been on ensuring equitable access to quality education, supporting teachers, and promoting innovation in learning. 

Conclusion-

So far we've discussed about COVID-19 and its significant impact on education worldwide, and how different organizations and authorities tackle it. COVID-19 taught us that cooperation is the key to the global health crisis and how contribution with others can make a difference in difficult situations. Children are the future of the nation and in every condition one must protect children and their rights.

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Reference-

1.  Constitution of India, 1950

2. Web pages of WHO; UNESCO; UN; OECD;

3. kpmg.com

4. Press Information Bureau - Ministry of Bureau.

    (i) Ministry of education (list of schemes)- https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1744059