Education Vs. Pandemic, the unrest explained.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”- Benjamin Franklin.
Education, India, And Reality…
According to MHRD, around 37 million students in India are currently enrolled in higher education. The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER 2018) which is the best survey conducted to keep in check the educational capabilities of our country had some dissatisfying results. The major sharp improvement in primary school enrollment was seen which is quite positive but the literacy rate in the 11–14 years age group remains sub-par with the expected scenario.
An observable contrast. Why?
Most of the students in India cannot afford the education quality they deserve, because it levies an arduous financial burden on parents!
We all know that education is an extremely important phase in the early stages of human growth and as an individual everyone has the desire to learn something new. Schools and other educational institutes are the media through which we gain this knowledge and the life-skills involved.
But sometimes these institutions do not understand the meaning of education and simply put a “price-tag” to be fulfilled at the earliest.
Amidst this COVID pandemic, several such situations have come forth where students are being denied basic education because of them being unable to pay these fees.
How exactly is this a problem? and what are the issues faced by the three main mediums: Students, Teachers, and Institutes? We want to share this with you today.
Students’ Dilemma…
- Not being able to pay the full amount of fees that involve everything (Tuition fees, infrastructure fees, electricity fees, smart class/software usage fees).
- Students are forced to pay the mess and the hostel fees also whereas none of the services are being used currently.
- Institutions levying heavy exam fees for online exam infrastructure.
- Some institutions are not ready to accept the academic fee amount in installments.
- Institutions are not ready to start the next semester without full payment of academic fees.
- Not being able to pay for the online data that goes into attending everyday online classes and lectures. (Video calls incur heavy data usage).
- Teachers often aren’t able to give 100 percent to the class because they are new to this medium of online conduct. Students eager to learn, face many difficulties in such a scenario.
- Disregard for student’s/parent’s financial conditions and irregularity/delay in conclusion over the matter by some universities.
Uncomfortable Protests, Unaffordable Pandemic…
- Demand for full fees amidst this situation wherein everyone is facing an economic backlash. A Greater Noida based university demanded the full academic fees payment which came up to around 1,59,000 INR in order to access the online facilities of next semester.
- When students came up with an idea of paying fees in installments to reduce the economic burden, the university did not entertain the same.
- Another similar case came up in a Jaipur based college that demanded heavy fees for conducting online exams, owing to establishing a reliable digital infrastructure.
- Chennai based medical college demanded hostel and mess fees even in a situation wherein these services aren’t actually being used!
- Tamil Nadu govt. has decided to allow colleges to collect fees in three installments for the current academic year. Similarly, some private institutions like a Jaipur based primary school have also decided to accept fees in installments.
- UGC guidelines clearly request colleges, not to force students to pay the fees until the situation clears.
The scenario of colleges expecting fees in such a manner seems pretty absurd, isn’t it? Well, we should also understand the Point of view of “teachers” or “professors” as we call them, the most important connecting medium between the two important aspects of the education system i.e. “Students” and “Institutes”.
A Teacher’s Tragedy…
While teachers were gurus for most of the previous generations, tables seem to have turned. Since the pandemic has entered our daily lives, technology has taken a toll on us, making our scholars into learners.
- Besides six-seven hours of constant teaching being conducted online, and preparing non-plagiarised PPTs offline, Institutions are deducting more than 30% of the salary.
- Going to universities/colleges is in the daily routine of these teachers, some institutions have made it compulsory for teachers to be present on the campus.
- Moreover, Internet connectivity issues stand in the queue, even if there is no connectivity issue, the daily data packs get exhausted quickly, as the online teaching platforms consume data packs exponentially.
As absurd as it sounds, this is just one part of the issue. Let’s see the hidden hurdles of the teachers concerning students:
- Irregularity in attendance, and inactiveness during the lectures, intruders who play videos in the middle of classes, or say mischievous things to insult the teachers are just factors who add salt to their wounds.
- Teachers seem to face camera fear, they have reportedly been anxious in front of the camera.
- Stretching one-hour classes without having feedback, and interaction from the students reduces their confidence and makes them anxious, which in turn is makes them angry.
- Elderly teachers who aren’t familiar with the online teaching platforms, setting up the app, adjusting the angle of the device so the students can look at the board easily and read from it, makes it difficult for them to be consistent in their teaching, triggering clash of classes.
We would like to suggest some youtube links to all the teachers out there, reading this article. These links will help you set up a proper classroom whilst taking online classes.
Links:
Conducting an online classroom session on zoom: https://youtu.be/9guqRELB4dg
Conducting an online classroom session on Microsoft Teams: https://youtu.be/LiEGspEwZ-E
The pandemic of 2020, which has become a challenge to humanity and it’s existence. Each one of us is trying to hold on to a healthy life and a calm state of mind; teachers are also victims of the current situation. The only solution that stands, which is crystal clear; the cooperation of students and institutions with our hardworking teachers.
Considering the problems faced by our teachers and students, this scenario has left a bitter taste in our mouth about our educational Institutes.
How can the institute that holds the responsibility of nurturing us have turned into money chomping monsters? So, we definitely need to understand their take on the matter as well.
Institutes And The Mishap…
- “A lot of colleges simply can’t afford to give tuition refunds,” said Robert Kelchen, a Seton Hall University professor who studies financial access to higher education. “They don’t have the extra money to do that when they are still paying their employees.” Universities can’t afford to waive fees as they have to cover the expenses of the current college community.
- Some schools are explicitly saying they will not give any discounts on tuition because of the shift to online classes.
- “A substantial portion of the endowment is restricted and can’t be used for general funds”.
- As schools prepare to make these difficult decisions, they are faced with many legal and practical uncertainties and are looking for clear guidance and direction from the department.
- To ensure the well-being of the college community.
- Governments’ lack of attention and raising questions among the students and parents has created a mess for institutes to clean.
Considering the take of all the elements involved, what are we supposed to do now? Well, we conducted intensive research and chalked out some points which can be considered as applicable solutions to the problem. Let’s discuss these solutions…
Problems In Education, Solutions In Paradise…
- Universities should accept fees as installments. (Tamil Nadu govt. Has given the provision and approval for the same.)
- Students should keep calm and understand that the universities also wish welfares and safety whilst conducting exams in a HARMLESS way. It is the primary goal of the institutions and they will find a solution for it.
- Students should attentively cooperate with teachers during online classes. They invest an immense amount of effort in providing the quality education students need.
- Some issues also arise due to lack of communication, improper conduct of guidelines, and other mishaps. Government and institutions should decide and take steps that are in favor of students, teachers, and every other element involved.
- Viva/Oral conduct of exams through any online video-conferencing platform in order to assess the candidate based on his/her conceptual clarity.
- The university will be saving quite some money on electricity bills that can be used to build the infrastructure and develop proper teaching techniques for teachers that ensure that the students get the maximum benefits.
- The university can charge the students on pro-rata bases for the services used.
- If a school/institute continues to offer instruction to students but requires students to leave their on-campus housing facilities, it is the responsibility of the school to determine how to make appropriate refunds to students for housing or meal services not provided.
- In this situation, universities should consider reinstating the fees break-up and deduct additional costs apart from the tuition fees also try and lessen the financial burden on students.
- Administrators, central and state education ministries, and policy-makers must mull over and address the bleak situation of teachers and students, brought on by the COVID-19 shutdown.
The Key? Patience, Awareness, and Efforts…
So, as we wind this up, the solutions we suggested can be worked upon successfully but the efforts required are equally and extensively dependent on each and every one of “us” and “us as the society”.
Students, teachers, and Institutes, we reach out to you! Kindly give the solutions a thought and turn this catastrophe into educational salvation.
Wake up before everything goes down the hill because humanity understands feelings, health, safety, and financial conditions, but Covid-19 doesn’t.
If you agree with us kindly leave a comment, share the thought, and interact with us. Let us know more and share your innovative insight into the matter.
We were highly inspired by Abhi and Niyu’s IG-TV post that gave us a great amount of insight into the matter. A big shoutout to them for bringing some light on the situation!
Stay indoors, stay safe!
Writers: Vedant, Namrata and Jigisha
Designers: Bhavna and Shubhankar
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