Students can still learn during the pandemic (महामारी; a dangerous disease that infects many people at one time), if they get textbooks and resources
In a year of severe (गंभीर; very serious) disruption (अवरोध/विघ्न; an interruption in the usual way that a system, process, or event works) for schools caused by the COVID19 pandemic, students in rural areas have received only marginal assistance in the form of structured learning materials from teachers, and have had to rely more on (भरोसा करना; to depend on or trust someone/something) parents and siblings to study at home.
This unsettling (अस्थिर/अशांत; unexpected or causing changes) finding (परिणाम/निष्कर्ष; information or a fact that is discovered by studying something) by the Annual Status of Education Report 2020 should prompt (तुरंत/ प्रेरित करना; to make something happen without delay) the Centre and the State governments to plan remedial (उपचारात्मक/समाधानात्मक; an activity/action intended to correct or improve something) measures for the future, when it will be safe again for students to return to the classroom.
In the interim (अन्तरिम/अल्पकालीन; temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists), they must work with schools to make remote learning possible. The ASER 2020 survey covering 26 States and four Union Territories has come up with striking (अत्यधिक आकर्षक; more attractive than usual) findings, including one of a shift in enrolments from private schools to government institutions, of about five percentage points over 2018, ranging from class one to higher secondary levels.
Also, with the suspension (निलंबन/ स्थगन; the act of stopping something happening for a period of time) of physical classes since the lockdown in March, there is a marked rise in students not being enrolled, either because they dropped out, or because it was not possible to get admitted.
It must also concern governments that the digital divide (difference between rich and poor in terms of computer and internet usage) stands out (अलग दिखना/ महत्वपूर्ण होना; to be very noticeable) starkly (स्पष्ट रूप से; very obviously and clearly) once again: the survey found 43.6% of students in government schools without access to a smartphone, while 67.3% of those who received learning materials in these institutions got them over WhatsApp, underscoring the role played by gadgets and connectivity.
On the other hand, only half the children got help with studies at home, a third got materials from teachers, and nearly 60% used textbooks.
The ASER survey provides data that could facilitate (सुगम/सरल बनाना; to make something possible or easier) intervention (हस्तक्षेप; the act or fact of becoming involved intentionally in a difficult situation) by the education system in some respects, even if, going forward, schools opt for (चुनाव/चयन करना; to make a choice, especially of one thing) a hybrid (मिश्रण/संकर; something that is a mixture of two very different things) solution of partial reopening and online learning.
Expanding availability of textbooks to all, including those who dropped out or are waiting to be formally admitted, will help parents and siblings aid (साधन/सहायता; help or support) learning. Bridging the divide on educational aids, now including smartphones, will enable transmission (संचार/प्रसार; sending out something by radio or television, on the internet, etc.) of learning materials, and personal tutorial sessions.
Beyond these basics, however, the education system could creatively use opportunities during the current year to broaden (फैलना/बढ़ाना; to become wider or increase the range of something) learning. Students could use the safety of the open countryside (ग्रामीण इलाका/क्षेत्र; land not in towns or cities, either used for farming or left in its natural condition) to learn, under guidance from teachers, a host of topics by doing things themselves.
This is particularly feasible (संभव; possible; able to be made or done) for lower classes, where observational learning (a learning through observing the behavior of others) creates a strong foundation. Educational video, which has helped thousands, can advance learning even beyond the pandemic, using talented teacher-communicators.
States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala have already hosted curriculum-based video lessons on the Internet, after beaming them on television. It will take out of the box thinking during the pandemic to come up with interventions that are a substitute (विकल्प/प्रतिनिधि; to use something or someone instead of another thing or person) for traditional methods and prevent 2020 becoming a zero year, as parents everywhere remain wary (सजग/जागरूक; not completely trusting or certain about something or someone) of sending children to school.
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