Lockdown Has Locked Down Many Students' Career

Lockdown is a contemporary phenomenon that each one of has certainly experienced. Some of us are even experiencing it right this moment. But when we think of this global lockdown and how it affects the world, only the subjects under spotlight come to our mind. Be it the shrinking economy, the plight of the IT industry, Work from Home policies, job losses or the front line corona warriors who jeopardize their lives and families for others, we often fail to see the impact it has on other imperative aspects of our society. One such significant aspect is a student’s career.

Have we ever taken the time or even made the effort to understand how children, the building blocks of our society and the hopes of our future, are dealing with this unprecedentedly long pandemic. Has this killer COVID 19 virus created a commotion in our education system and disrupted the career of a generation of students? It won’t be completely wrong to say, yes, it has.

While this isolation from the world undoubtedly has its benefits, it sure has stopped the flow of traffic all around the world. Schools and colleges have been closed for months as part of social distancing norms. Not only that, high school examinations and final year varsity papers have been annulled. Students are being promoted on merit basis of their previous exams. There are almost 1.5 billion students worldwide who have been affected by these major vicissitudes.

I agree that the world is digitizing at a swift pace and everyone and everything is eventually moving to the virtual domain. So why not online classes for students? What’s wrong with that? Though this idea may seem intriguing and very palpable at first, it may not be the best option for kids who are impressionable and students who are already hooked to gadgets all day. According to a nationwide survey, almost 90 percent respondents believe that education of students will be impacted heavily due the lockdown.

The primary reasons being -

Low quality of available online material: Online study material is either paid or not of very high quality. This can be a big hurdle for parents who can barely make ends meet as it is. It is unfair to expect everyone to get on board with the online process at once. Not having the proper resources can have tremendous effect on one grades and scores of a child.

Inaccessibility to Internet: Not all people are equipped with internet connectivity. People, mostly in rural areas don’t even carry smartphones and don’t have access to basic internet plans. For them, the online portal is a farfetched dream. Also, people who do have access to internet cannot ensure stable network connectivity all the time. So online classes cannot be the ultimate solution to this problem.

Physical absence of a teacher: This may not seems like an important reason to many of us, but research suggests that the physical presence of an educator can actually accentuate the learning process. It can make reading fun and quick as students have the option to ask queries and clarify doubts then and there. Also, being in the proximity of other students can actually instill a sense of togetherness and give rise to healthy competition. Distraction is main concern for students especially who live in large families.

Psychological impact: Students are already scared that their chances of getting into their choice of schools and colleges are already lowered. The lockdown has generated a sense of fear and paranoia among students especially who had it all planned out from the beginning. Since final year assessments and state and central board examinations have been neutralized, many feel that their fate is now solely in the hands of their teachers and administrators.

Also not being able to step out of the house at all can have very robust effect on anyone’s mind. Not all of us live in mansions and with tennis courts and in house swimming pools. The need to socially interact with people our own age is biological need. Being a prisoner in our own houses can’t be fruitful for any person.

While this may be the gloomy side of this facet, it’s not surprising to think that this lockdown might have also helped some students in bettering their career prospects and employment opportunities. Many students believe that this lockdown has given them the opportunity to self-learn and introspect. Students have had the time to rethink career paths and work part time in internships which not only boosts their profiles but also is an extra source of income for families.

Also being able to spend quality time with family and closed ones is another plus point. A contented and self-sufficient home can have an encouraging influence in a student’s life.