Recently, while collecting data for my PhD research on inclusive education in a remote school in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, I became acquainted with several state government school teachers and students.
Sharada and Prerna soon became my friends and they would often talk about some of the challenges children and adults face in remote Garhwal region, which include inconsistent electricity supply, lack of good roads, inadequate medical facilities, gender and caste based discrimination, and poor or no access to information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Following the closure of all the schools in Uttarakhand, I sent a message to Prerna, asking about her students. She responded, “My students’ education has been affected due to COVID-19. I am worried about their education and pray that situation returns to normal soon.”
The National Disaster Management Act of India has been put into effect, leading to drastic but crucial measures being taken by both the central and the state governments to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19. We are already aware of COVID-19’s impact on the global economy, but what do we know about its impact on children’s education?
UNESCO has sounded-off some key short and long term implications. While temporary loss of learning and social development opportunities for millions of children are some of the immediate effects, more concerning are the long term implications. Wider educational disparities, increased drop-out rates, surge in poverty, and greater risks for marginalised children in terms of their wellbeing and safety are some concerns that education researchers and advocates have foreseen. Perhaps, time will only be able to tell us more accurately about the extent of COVID-19’s impact on children’s right to education.
Nevertheless, the time to act on it is now.
Also read: Delhi University: Online Lectures and Accessibility
In my opinion, both as a novice researcher of inclusive education as well as a citizen of the country, national and international policies are crucial. According to UNESCO, education policies significantly influence collective thinking and practice towards achieving every individual’s right to education.
Looking at what UNESCO says, the policies sound great but there’s a catch. Usually, policies are driven by assumed central authorities such as, international developmental agencies, regional bodies, central, state, and other local governments, among others. As a result, several policy researchers like Jennifer Ozga have long warned that it leads to a top-down approach to policy process (i.e., the formulation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and re-formulation of a policy).
And there are several drawbacks to this approach. For example, most policymakers are disconnected from the ground realities. A policy process is both complex, and dependent on a wide variety of actors such as – schools, teachers, students, families, NGOs, enterprises, and researchers, among others. Education policies, not only in India but world over, are rife with problems related to the top-down approach. Time and again, we see how this approach leads to the failure of even the most well-intentioned policies.
India’s response to COVID-19, in terms of sustaining children’s access to education, has been to facilitate remote learning through smartphone apps, running classes via Zoom and broadcasting lessons on the TV as well as, the radio. Recently, the HRD Minister announced a week-long campaign called, ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ to seek suggestions and ‘ideas’ from mainly teachers and students to improve already functional online learning. While these are commendable and valuable strategies, they are being run in a hit-or-miss manner.
Some significant concerns associated with such remote learning strategies include: the availability of and access to devices and internet connectivity, the need for safe learning spaces, creating capabilities for teachers, families and students to operate and navigate devices, and conceiving both individualised and engaging lesson plans that take into account the experiences of disabled students, along with those from other marginalised groups.
India can develop more creative policy driven strategies to ensure that all children have sustainable access to learning in the face of COVID-19. Several policy researchers have been advocating for the inclusion of various individual actors from diverse backgrounds including, individuals from remote regions as well as, from marginalised and minoritised groups to design and deliver more effective policies.
When we think of learning in times of COVID-19, we must think of the thousands of children and families in Chamoli and elsewhere who don’t have the means of accessing ICTs. We must also think of the many parents and teachers, worried about their children’s and their students’ education, who need to be included in policy processes. Perhaps the smartest approach (which could also be challenging), to sustain meaningful learning for all children lies in the central and state governments partnering with various actors including, families, teachers, school leaders, students, NGOs, researchers, and local governing bodies such as, the gram panchayats.
There is an immense collection of knowledge, experiences, stories, and contextual solutions waiting to be heard and augmented so that more effective policies can be designed and implemented, all the more so, in times of crises like the COVID-19.
Rashmi Rangarajan is a PhD candidate at faculty of education, Monash University, Australia
Featured image credit: Pariplab Chakraborty