At the end of every year, one takes stock of the hits and the misses, the highs and the lows. But this year, undoubtedly, has been about living with the pandemic. If 2020 was about coming to terms with the presence of the novel coronavirus, then 2021 was definitely about living and coping with the virus. While the year before saw responses such as lockdowns, 2021 was about re-opening of public establishments and making sense of hybrid work and learning arrangements as parts of our lives that were here to stay.
No matter how learning and lessons were delivered to students, the role of the school and teachers as the sources of guidance has remained constant. If at all, the pandemic has only further highlighted the significance of the school’s presence in a student’s life. The early phases of the transition to online learning saw some hiccups both in terms of processes and the reactions of the stakeholders. Gradually, with the passage of time, students and teachers alike, not only managed to work around these systems but even managed to thrive despite the constant threat posed by the pandemic. Yet, one cannot deny that students longed for physical classes and the activities that they could access by coming to school everyday. This sentiment was at its best display when schools opened briefly in the later half of the year. Once all safety protocols were take care of and enforced, schools too waited to welcome students with open arms. The feelings of jubilation and exhilaration that one tends to witness among students at the end of the exam season could be seen visibly on the days the schools reopened after nearly a year of being shut. It was almost as if all stakeholders, ranging from parents to schools to teachers to the administration, felt victorious at a sight that they were afraid they were unlikely to see in the near future. However, increasing pollution and the rise of newer variants once again played spoilsports and the brief respite offered by schools’ reopening came to an end.
In the first phase of the pandemic, discussions focused on creating enough opportunities for all to access the infrastructure required to participate in online learning. But, in the second wave, all stakeholders were discussing an unequivocal conclusion: schools were not just the source of education or learning but the central pivot around which young people’s lives were built. The threats posed by the arrival of newer variants remain constant. It is abundantly clear that hybrid learning will be the way to go for the foreseeable future in order to avoid any disruption in schedule. This certainly poses challenges both for parents and the teachers as even though most concerns around online teaching have been managed successfully, staying at home for such long periods is likely to affects students’ physical and mental health adversely.
In such a scenario, it becomes even more critical for education to play out collaboratively and for the learning experience to be steered jointly by the parents and the teachers. The biggest lesson one learns at school is that no education can happen in isolation. As social animals, not only do we need company, we also thrive in groups and collaborative activities. This understanding must now be at the centre of all the interactions between the stakeholders of the education system. Any discussions around the planning and management of pandemic-related stress or pandemic-induced academic disturbances must include representation and voices of all the stakeholders.
The pandemic is also a reminder that students and their well-being is a collective responsibility shared by the parents and the school. At this point, more than ever, we all need to work in tandem to ensure that our children are shielded against the worst harms posed by the pandemic. First among these are concerns around health. All schools have been particular about enforcing safety protocols and ensuring infrastructure sanitisation. Secondly, we must focus on keeping all channels of communication open with the students so that they may feel comfortable in confiding about any stressor that may be affecting them. Restrictions on mobility have also deprived them from seeking comfort in peer groups or friends or finding outlets for externalising any pent-up or difficult emotions that may be experiencing. In such a scenario, it becomes crucial for us to offer a healing touch by constantly reminding them that they are not alone and help is always close by. As adults too, the challenges posed by the uncertainties are reminders that none of us are infallible and that success only lies in being able to help each other in times of need. It is remarkable how schools and teachers have stood firmly together in these difficult times to ensure that no student is left behind and that whatever is in the best interests of the students reaches them on time.
One cannot predict how soon will we be able to go back to what we called normal. But as we try to come to terms with this ‘new normal’, it is pertinent to remember that no adversity can remain undefeated if we remain united in its face. We must cling to hope for a better world while firmly striding forward as a collective humanity.
(Author Naman Jain is Education Policy Expert and Director at Silverline Prestige School, Ghaziabad. Views expressed here are personal.)
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