COVID-19: A Catalyst for Online Education in India

Keywords: BC (Before Corona), AC (After Corona), COVID-19, Societal shifts.

Lazarus Lepcha Lazarus L Zyong

Don’t be surprised if our history is read in the future in terms of BC and AC (Before COVID-19 and After COVID-19). The traditional reference to the Julian and Gregorian calendars BC and AD (Before Christ and Anno Domini) might just be replaced. Our world is reeling from this COVID-19 pandemic, but when we look at it through an optimistic lens, we can see a few blessings in disguise.

Last year, I attended a symposium on ‘Digital Transformation & Holistic Learning’ organized by Microsoft in Bengaluru. There, several school principals shared their views on digitizing the teaching systems in their schools. Some mentioned they were already trying to implement online exams for school children, which was considered a grand vision at the time. I pondered the brilliant concept of online teaching and learning they envisioned. Back then, these were merely plans for the distant future. No one knew that this future would crawl into our educational system so suddenly. Ultimately, COVID-19 succeeded in fast-tracking the digital platform in India.

COVID-19 crept onto Indian soil unexpectedly and brought its citizens to a standstill when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown. The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, along with many private and government educational institutions, had to burn the midnight oil to find solutions to continue educating millions of students despite the unprecedented lockdown.

Software companies like Zoom, Cisco Webex, Skype, GoToMeeting, and Google Classroom boomed, as though they had hit the jackpot. ‘Zoom’, a video conferencing app, became the talk of the town. According to media sources, the government even warned citizens about its usage, as experts raised doubts about its privacy policies. Despite these uncertainties, the situation compelled us to venture deeper into the world of software.

Considering the paramount importance of education, many universities and schools opted to conduct online classes and exams. Social distancing could not widen the gap between students and their education because digitalization successfully bridged it.

The rarely used word “quarantine” has become so common that everyone, whether literate or illiterate, now knows its meaning. Children now receive double the care and double the educational input from parents at home and from teachers online, a reality that could not have been dreamed of before.

Educationists and educators now have ample opportunity to excel in the realm of online teaching and to familiarize themselves with various educational software. The emergence of cyber education is rapidly surging in popularity, proving to be a boon for our generation.

Most of us had ventured into the cyber world before the pandemic, but often for different reasons, such as passing the time, socializing, or handling basic online tasks. Now, however, those same people deeply value the internet as a tool for achieving something extraordinary.

Utilizing the lockdown, many have enrolled in various online fields of learning and teaching. The true experience of globalization can be witnessed on these online platforms. Hundreds of scholars have joined virtual classrooms where there is no room for discrimination. Devoid of barriers based on race, creed, colour, or religion, they interact as one online family of avid learners.

Furthermore, I would not hesitate to view ‘Google’ as a caring guardian of humanity, an artificial intelligence capable of cradling billions on Earth while the world is gripped by a pandemic.

Currently, the internet is playing a major role in keeping people productively engaged during quarantine. The marketing of digital apps has scaled new heights, and software entrepreneurs are developing useful applications every day. Since online learning and teaching have become integral to the education system, the millions who choose online learning over distractions like PUBG and TikTok will be the fortunate ones left to narrate the success story of quarantine in the AC (After COVID-19) era.

Future generations may very well have a history topic titled, ‘The Emergence of Online Classes in India’, for which the definitive answer will be: ‘The outbreak of Coronavirus in 2020’.

Author: Lazarus Lepcha

Email: lazu2310@gmail.com