Abstract
The right to education is a basic human right. Across the world, the learners have been affected due to the closure of the educational institutions as the coronavirus pandemic shows no sign of abetting any time zone. As the epidemic spreads, basic services happened to be the hardest hit and education is certainly among them. The impact of the virus is predicted to be even more devastating for the vulnerable group, though the government is trying to maintain access to learning and ensure kids retain knowledge and skills through distance or alternate learning programmes. However, concerns have been raised that remote learning is fairly an unfamiliar territory and would pave the way to deepen the divide between haves and the have-nots. Education is a live-saving mechanism for the most vulnerable children and should the coronavirus outbreak get out of hand in India, streamlining would become a far beyond reality. The pertinent issue is that while the pandemic forced India into expanding its educational sector into online platform, the woes of the rural children remains answered. Despite various attempts on the part of the government to push the learners into the digital space, the gateway of the problems afflicting the educational system in rural India remains unaddressed. The paper addresses the constraints faced by the children of rural India in accessing their right to education, while the urban India hasn’t faced any considerable bandwidth issues. A tailored approach is the need of the hour as one size doesn’t fit all learners. The paper is a humble attempt to showcase that the educational issues at grassroot levels are complex and hence a holistic approach is warranted on the part of the stakeholders.
Key words: Education, Human right, Fundamental right, Covid 19
Introduction
“It is easier to land a man on the moon than to change the school system”- M.Z. Riffi
Withcrores of learners being affected worldwide, because of the pandemic embracing reasons like- ongoing situation, closure of the educational institutions, postponement of examinations, everything going on a helter-skelter, right to education is no exception.[1]Education not only provides safety and protection but also instills a hope for positive ways ahead. With the onslaught of Covid 19, the daily schedules of all individuals have gone for a toss but continuing education through alternate learning pathways remains one of the pertinent measures of the welfare state and the education systems demands strategies in proper framework in order to mitigate the needs of children, especially among the vulnerable ones. India, being very slow to the online system of education, the status quo remains same in rural areas.[2]
The prevailing scenario is creating a sense of uncertainities among the students and the citizens of the state as the general perception is that the educational sector would suffer a major set-back. The collegesand schools would be opened only after the normalcy returns and a well-informed society cannot hope for such a comeback at this crisis. The present paper explores the challenges faced by the learners in their day to day life in terms of education and attempts to unlock remedies- traditional and innovative. The paper further urges on the pivotal point that the political heads of the country along with the stakeholders should act as true builders of the nation and upgrade the policies to reach the needy in the states.
Problem Statement
India is a developing country and with the new phase of online learning, the country is facing low bandwitch.With the sea-change in the educational sector, there is a mixed response in the field of teaching and learning in India. While the lives in cities are working smoothly to an extent, the rural areas still depicts a shabby picture with number of pitfalls, in accessing their basic right to education.
Key objectives
- i) to trace out the impediments faced by the learners in times of Covid 19
- ii) tounfold mechanisms for the children of tender age to realize their basic needs of elementary education
iii) to provide analysis of a case study and the stakeholders bejeweled with pragmatic experience.
- iv) to explore the role of the government including the stake holders.
- v) to suggest possible remedies and develop a sense of belongingness so that the learners can rejuvenate.
Methodology
The researcher has adopted both doctrinal and non-doctrinal method for the purpose of the study. In order to achieve the first and the second objectives, both the methods are used. The available online reports have been thoroughly examined by the researcher. The researchers had conversations with the lawyers, academicians and journalists, village headmen and have extensively dwelt on the issue.
In order to achieve the third and fourth objectives, both the primary and secondary data were used. A wide range of bibliographical sources from different scholarly articles, academic journals, conference papers and publications were visited. Even newspapers played a significant role to contribute to the researcher’s knowledge.
Interview was conducted through telephone and mail and the responses of the respondents contributed to the study of this paper. Apart from that, a case study was undertaken in government school which revealed the cons of remote learning. An in-depth interview of the teachers and some guardians were taken and data reproduced for the purpose of the study.
Analysis of the basic challenges engulfing right to education
- Issue of access to infrastructure- The vulnerable group is facing major hardships to deal with this gloomy scenario due to the inappropriate devices, unavailability of smart phones, laptops, digital mechanisms, no internet connectivity and above all the electricity problem in the outskirts of the cities. In majority of the schools in rural areas there is dearth of accommodation for all children and hygiene facilities. The essence of teaching and learning- collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity remains far beyond reachable for the most vulnerable section.[3]
The impression however, is the fact that given the limitations of our system, there can be only human suggestions at the moment. The government would definitely look into the availability of the resources to keep them going and chalk out plans of execution.
- Issues with working parents- Children of six to seven years cannot handle the ICT tools without the assistance of their parents. But, the question is whether the parents can give up their offices to look after their children? Everybody would have wanted to remain at home at this crucial stage had it been possible.
The impression however, is that we live in a real world and need to pay the bills. So, constructive exercises are warranted at this hour of crisis. However, the terms ‘constructive’ at this stage is vague and has to be left to the new normalcy to decide. Online teaching has become a necessity and we cannot do away without it. Moreover, due to this pandemic even the body system of individuals has gone for a toss.
- Untrained Faculties- Another pertinent twist is the lack of adequate training in the faculty members. Since this system is totally new in some remote areas, they are unable to cope up with the system as they are not well versed with the methods. Faculties are not adaptable to the changing circumstances.
The impression however, is that the debate is external as there is an emphatic approach of the teachers to meet the situation. It is demanded that technology has to augment the learning lessons of a professional and the faculties has to step in this time and play the role of a savior to overcome this blurry picture of life.
- Low profile for back benchers and slow learners- This is definitely a major setback for some categories of people and protective discrimination is mandated. The crux is that since there is no eye contact with the teacher, there is a big gap in the process of understanding and communication which leads to bitter interaction.
However, it should be noted that the landscape of the learners needs to be changed. Learning experience has to be adjusted in such a manner that it can cater the needs of some, if not all. Counseling sessions could also solve the issues to an extent. The good news is that the world is moving to overcome this rapid change and thereby rushing to some sense of cure.
- Rural India Struggles alone to reach the doorsteps of elementary education – The potential of educational sector has been acting as a threat in rural India. There are many problems in these areas compared to what is shown in records.[4]
However, it is very important for the Government to restructure the whole system of education considering the negative effects of lockdown. As the confinement continues, it is essential that every child has access to education, regardless of their background. First and foremost, this should mean additional support for the most disadvantaged children for the duration of the lockdown.
- Covid 19 fractures the dream of education for elderly womenWith the rise of this pandemic, many women’s life and dream had come to a standstill. Certain schemes were availed by the elderly women and they had just started working towards their goal breaking superstitious beliefs and taboos with the hope to rejuvenate but with this picture these women had again gone into square one- darkness. Those who do not have access to online education will fall between the cracks.
The impression reveals that education is a washout this year. Covid 19 has come upon us like a bolt from the blue. But, the stakeholders are expected to try out plans for rebuilding education and instill the dreams in the generation- old and young.
- Judicious mixture in online modes modes of teaching- The modernity of the framework are to be based on the uncertainity management. The private schools with high technologies are in a constant pace towards excellence and the children are also becoming familiar with the ICT tools. But, the government schools are quite steady in their approach.
However, the government has to act as an enabler and provide the means to come out of this vulnerable position especially for the class of children below the poverty line.
- Edge of one issue over the other- The issues in this hour of crisis is multi-faceted. While this ex-potential growth is often hindered by the shortcomings that include financing and management including access, equity and relevance, re-orientation of programmes by laying emphasis on health consciousness, values and ethics and quality of education with the assessment of institutions has aroused attention.
The woes have to be answered by the effective implementation schemes on the part of the government. To assist in the endeavour, the main objective of teaching-learning resources has to be shown who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
Analysis of the case study of a government school in Assam- highlights
This case in study was in Assam in a government school namely, Chandrapur High School. Some teachers and guardians of the school were questioned which clearly indicated that online guided teaching is going on in this school in a stereo-typical manner, unreachable to ninety percent of the students and no live online classes were undertaken for the children. Responses were as follows:
The teachers were not trained enough to handle ICT tools and so are the guardians and the children. It was found out that out of four hundred and ten students in the school, education could serve the needs of one hundred and ten students thereby showing a gloomy picture in that area. Tutumoni Kalita, an alumni of the school and an activist opined that some teachers were physically conducting classes under trees with blackboard and chalk where social distancing norms were maintained by drawing boundaries but the results were not satisfactory as very few children turned up to avail this learning system and then natural calamities prevented these strategies from taking a turn towards goal-oriented results.
Ganesh Newar, the science teacher of that school said that the staff and the faculty were not well equipped to address the issue of the children at this stage as many teachers and children remained alien to Android phones, not to talk about laptops and tablets. However, he opined that some teachers were sending audio and video clips regularly but only five percent response could be seen when it comes to clarification of doubts. Online assignments were posted through WhatsApp with a poor response. He viewed that the online teaching was totally a failure to touch the untouchables.
As very few people responded so no time table was made for the session in that school. He said that his daughter studied in an English medium school where the teachers were much advanced compared to those government schools as because the later were not well versedin the technology. Moreover, the students couldn’t handle these tools and therefore the interest level was minimal.
The school authorities were totally against online examination. They said that the electricity issue always remained pivotal and on top of that ICT tools have miserably failed to impress these young children who were going without education in this time of crisis. The mid-day meals were provided by the government by following the norms of social distancing. The thirty days items for the meals of the children were distributed in three days by dividing in proportion. However, no cooked food could be provided and that led to several issues as many children were downtrodden and below the poverty line.
The study reflected that online education is a gross failure in the rural areas and there has to be drastic steps taken by the political heads of the state to meet the requirements. Such cases discourages one form having access to the fundamentals of education for the vulnerable class and set out to bridge the distance between economically backward and well-to-do children. The government has to act as an enabler or else the gaps between the haves and have-nots will be stretched far beyond and the mission of a welfare state would rather be impossible to accomplish.
The Right to Information Act, a developmental legislation also failed to take into account or anticipate the present contingencies. Moreover, the infrastructures of some school are not up to the satisfaction level and some classrooms are too congested for the students to adjust. Even the water is not hygienic enough or sufficient. As a result it is quite clear that basic education is lagging behind in this crucial period thereby paving way for drop-outs at a large extent.
Most of the educational institutions have become quarantine centers especially in the urban areas. Right to education has left no stone unturned to get sidelined by the concerned authorities in the present scenario across the globe.
Possible Remedies and ways ahead
- The government has to act as evangelist to be able to let this education system flourish and made available for the masses.
- The political will, support and the infrastructure for the seamless shift has to get started so that education can reach the doorsteps of the marginalized group thereby creating a classless educational reform.
- Trends have to change as we all essentially get hyperaerated into the digital space. The task is not limited only to the persons in power but all the stakeholders should come forward and lift India- rural and urban into ethereal heights. The booklets should be distributed by the Government and the localities of the concerned areas could impart basic education to the children and help to bring a social transformation.
- Teachers should be well trained in the use of online teaching technology. They should be made conversant and made apathetic towards the new normalcy. Technology has emerged as a major life-saver for education as it serves as a potential model for a resource-crunched country like India and a personal tool for development and it’s high time that it is embraced with open arms to strive towards the zenith of success.
- The individualistic approach by Indian educators needs an organized projection for teaching via their institute’s web platform. Radio, television and so forth which are in every house hold should be used in aiding and imparting lessons for the rural class.
- Government should provide android phones along with the internet data pack for the children living below poverty line so that they are not deprived of the minimum educational lessons, availed by others.
- The villages can set up digital learning platforms and the privileged class should come out to provide a helping hand for the deprived class in this period of crisis.
- Entrepreneurship oriented academic sector should be initiated by the government to meet the needy.
- Holistically planned intervention and taking bird’s eye view of the entire developmental need of children in crisis can definitely fill the vacuum and act as messiah in times of distress.
As is justly said- ‘Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights”- Unesco.org
[1] Navodita Pande, Right to Education Act in India: Case Study of a Private School in Kanpur, XVIII AIC/INDEX.HTM 377, 377-86 (2017)
[2] Covid 19 and education in emergencies, (May 30,2020, 12 P.M),https://leidenlawblog.nl>articles
[3]What is the rural education scenario in India and how can we change it, (23 May, 2020, 04:09 P.M), https://www.indiatoday.in>story,
[4] Akshay Swaminathan and Menaka Narayan, The State of School Infrastructure in the Assembly Constitutencies of Rural India: Analysis of 11 Census Indicators from Pre-Primary to Higher Education, (22 May, 2020,09:00 A.M), https://www.mdpi.com>htm
