- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, one of the immediate measures to curtail its spread and protect citizens was to shut down educational institutions. Even at this point, while some schools and universities have partially resumed, it is still difficult to predict when the education system will go back to the way it was. Perhaps, like most other things in life, school will also never go back to being the same. As teachers gather all their technical might to make a seamless switch from face-to-face classrooms to shared screens and virtual boards, and the young lot of the country tries to accommodate to their peers’ and teachers perpetually and solely existing on their computers, we wonder what this new life is like.
Pondering over the challenges and digital disparities as also the bright side to experimenting with new things is 16-year-old Armit Dhingra who is a student of The Shri Ram School, Gurgaon.
Here is Armit’s account of his experience with this changed way of schooling in his own words.
It has been around 10 months since we have been doing everything online because of the ongoing pandemic, ranging from attending school, running businesses, talking to our friends, family reunions, and even attending birthday parties online. For me, however, the biggest and the most drastic change has been my school. It being online now has really changed the way I used to look at it.
My school uses a platform called Microsoft Teams and we are given worksheets and daily assignments there the same way we used to be given in our ‘physical’ school. Our teachers also make the effort to host assemblies and other activities virtually so that we don’t forget how school really was a couple of months ago. Despite all of that, it is surely very different when we sit on a chair for 6 hours continuously and attend school.
Some things that I really miss about the school, which can’t be made up for in an online school, are the daily lunches in our canteen, waiting for our Physical Education period to go outside and play, playing sports like Badminton, Basketball, and Football with my class, conducting experiments in the laboratory, and just in general, meeting my friends and peers and have a great time with them.
Online school has drastically changed my daily routine in many ways. Before the pandemic, on a usual Sunday evening, I would make sure that my bag was made with all my books, my uniform was ready, and that I had all the homework I needed to submit the next day. But now, I check to see if my laptop is charged, if all my documents are saved, and if my internet is running at a good speed. One who used to waking up at 7.30 am, getting ready for school and leaving home by 8 am, and reaching by 8.15 am, now wakes up at 8.15 a.m. and just attends school for what else remains to be done anyway!
Online school has also impacted my emotional and mental state of being. I wouldn’t go as far as calling myself ‘lonely’ but not meeting my friends the same way I used to daily in school has really changed things and more than anything else, has left me with a strong sense of isolation. Even though I am still communicating with my friends and talking to them daily, it’s not the same. Once in a while, I will get together with my friends and we play an online game together or just sit on call and talk for a while but I am sure most people would prefer that in person rather than their computer screens.
No physical interaction with the people close to you and with whom you have a great time otherwise really takes a toll on one. However, every time I find myself thinking in this direction, I am reminded of the fact that our health matters more than anything, so it’s a really small price to pay for not catching the virus.
During school, some students would make the excuse of being sick and take a day off but now, all they have to do is say that their internet is very slow to get a free ticket out of class.
Even as speak from my social location, I cannot deny the fact that this digital disparity is a problem very much real and alive for a lot of students across the country and this, more than anything, is the biggest shortcoming of the online shift. One’s residential area determines their access to fast Wi-Fi and hotspot is rarely viable as people have limited data and sometimes, data is slow as well. A lot of families don’t even have the basic necessities required to allow their children to attend the online school which has, in turn, stripped them of their imperative right to obtain education and continue school.
There are many more cons of studying online such as ophthalmologic problems which have become a major issue. Students’ screen time has increased massively since all of our meetings, assignments, and interactions have become online. A study by OLX India showed that children between the age groups 5-15 had their screen-time increase by around 100 per cent since the first lockdown, which is very harmful. Students spend around 6 hours, 5 days a week attending school and after that, a couple more hours for entertainment like watching movies and then they have to complete their homework as well. So. in a sense, we spend most of our day looking at screens which is really not good for our health.
Another issue that may arise and hinder our studies is that often, during class, someone’s device stops working, taking quite a while to start again. Now, that is a genuine problem – something which can happen to anyone and frequently does. These technical difficulties interfere with our work and we miss out on lessons taught in class. For our eyesight and screen time, we can try and cut down the extra usage of our phones and computers after the necessary work has been done. However, besides purchasing an expensive, speedy internet package and a durable device, not much can be done about the technical impediments.
Another issue is the reduced social interaction. We, as students, are used to attending school everyday meeting and interacting with our friends and teachers. Even though we are still technically doing that through our devices, it really differs from physical interaction. I am sure all of us would prefer actually meeting our peers rather than talking into a screen the whole time.
There are, however, some pros of studying online as well. Regardless of the pandemic, considering that Artificial Intelligence and computer science is a major rising field nowadays, young children are learning and mastering how to work around computers as everything is online. This in turn, in my opinion, is allowing them to develop a knack for it and maybe, also enabling their interest in pursuing it as a career. Online school also reduces the cost as compared to a physical school. Despite the fees paid, other expenses such as those for uniforms, transport, and books are cut down as they are not needed anymore. For those who are comfortable with the system, it has made schooling more affordable and convenient.
Even though I am sure all of us would prefer going back to school and meeting all of our teachers and friends and attending school the way it was intended, online school is the most viable option right now as we want to prevent the spread of the virus and stay healthy and this is best we can do right now. We can only keep hoping for better times for all.
16-year-old Armit Dhingra is a student of The Shri Ram School, Aravali in Gurgaon. Currently in the X Standard, he enjoys basketball and is a regular at Model United Nations (MUNS) tournaments. Armit’s love for debating and penchant for Indian politics and labour laws reflects in his writing. He also loves poetry.
If you liked reading this article, we suggest you read:
