Impact of COVID-19 in Education Sector

Abstract

Since March 2020, the ups and downs seen in the whole world have rarely been seen. Covid-19 has made many changes in the way the world lives, eats, sleeps, studies and does all other activities. Its different effects are being seen in different areas. Its different effects are being seen in different areas, in which education is such an area where radical changes have taken place. Lock down forced people to change their traditional methods of teaching and adopt new ways for that. There have been many changes from giving education to taking education. Online methods of studies have brought a revolution in the education world. Today there is no need to go to school to study; new models of education are capable of imparting knowledge sitting at home. After Covid, there were many ups and downs in the education world. In the early days, teaching was a challenge in itself, but gradually efforts were made to make it easier with the help of technology. Through research, the effects of Covid-19 on education have been studied. Online survey was conducted for evaluating the impact of covid-19 on the education sector. For that primary data has been collected from the public of Indore district.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Covid-19 has affected almost all the important sectors negatively. One of them is the Education sector. Globely, lockdown gave significant challenges for the education sector. In this time many schools and colleges were not able to provide education to the students because of lack of technology and other supporting infrastructure. Many students dropped their studies because they were not having smart phones, personal computers or laptops, internet connectivity and other things which are essential for e-learning. Covid-19 posed many challenges in front of teachers and students. Major changes were observed in the behavior of students and teachers too. Sudden shift of teaching and learning patterns gave great pain to all. Classroom to virtual class, teaching at school to teaching from home. doing practical in the lab to online demonstration and many more things have been changed. Overall many issues found in this time.

II. OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the education field.

III. METHODOLOGY

Study is based on online surveys in which Likert scale questions are framed. Data was collected from students, teachers and parents of Indore. Total 120 respondents were selected by the convenience  sampling method.

IV. LITERATURE REVIEW

The teachers have played the role of mentors, guides, leaders and facilitators in the lives of the students. They have encouraged, motivated and inspired the students to aspire, dream and fulfill their desires. This is something which no robot or artificial intelligence machinery can do. This type of warmth and personal care offered by the teacher can in no way be substituted by a machine .Showkat Ahmad Dar and Dr.Naseer Ahmad Lone (March 2021), Poor digital skills, School policies,  Digital divide, Poor electricity,  Unavailability  and  accessibility, Network  issues,  Inadequate  facilities, Lack  of  training,  Lack of funding, Resistance to change, etc. are the major barriers for online education during the COVID-19 pandemic school closures. Among them, inadequate facilities appeared to be the highest impediment to online education during the pandemic-Edeh Michael Onyema, Dr. Nwafor Chika Eucheria, Dr. Faith Ayobamidele Obafemi, Shuvro Sen, Fyneface Grace Atonye, Dr. Aabha Sharma, Alhuseen Omar Alsayed(Nov 2020). Online teaching offers flexibility in teaching and learning and it also offers more tools and techniques for making the class motivating. The focus of online teaching is more on students and hence it promotes students centered learning instead of old teacher-centered learning. The online learning system is a good alternative for maintaining the study and planning the future learning approach. will be beneficial.

The online classes and sharing of lecturer notes and data using the online platforms will be effective for maintaining the flow of the education system. The rise in collaborative work by taking the help of communities to a large extent will be beneficial for the institution to promote learning through the new system. Hüsne Mehtap SÜT, Behçet ÖZNAÇAR (2021). Online education is the only option to continue the education. It also helps stop the corona virus spreading among the students.  covid-19 pandemic affected the education flow and learning activities of the students as no physical classroom, no social gathering was allowed that time. Asst. Prof. Bharti Shah (2022).

V. COVID-19 AND EDUCATION SECTOR

We all know that for all of us the first schooling started from home and our first teacher is our mother. After all that we also know that for overall development a child must need to send to school. Schools and colleges play a vital role in the development of society. About ? day children spend their day in school/college. Child can learn better when he/ she interacts with other students and teachers. Children can develop their social life and learn a lot of life’s lessons from school and college. When Covid-19 entered our life, it changed the scenario. Due to this Covid-19, many schools, colleges and universities have been closed. It seems like students’ development and growth just stopped in the way. Many students were not able to attend online classes due to lack of a supporting system. they did not have Mobiles, Wi-Fi, Computer/Laptop and other IT support. For such reasons many students dropped out of school.  Those who were attending classes were not so happy. In online classes they faced many problems like connectivity issues, technical difficulties, long sitting at a place created by physical health issues. Continuing staying at home students get irritated. many physical and mental challenges faced by them. Not only for students, Covid-19 gave great pain to teachers also. In Lockdown the workload of teachers increased. Connectivity issues created many problems to deliver a proper lecture to the students. Students were not interacting with the teachers which lowered the morale of them.

This is one side of the coin, another one is positive. COVID-19 has accelerated adoption of digital technology to deliver lectures. Educational institutions move towards a blended mode of learning. Blended learning may also open up avenues for curriculum development and pedagogy facilitated by the new way of delivery and assessment of learning outcomes being adopted.Currently students are using mobile and technologies mostly to learn the new things like lectures related to use of Zoom, Google meet, Google classroom. They also learn how to upload file, submit assignments in Google classroom. Students start watching different online lectures on their syllabus to learn the concept. For students learning is becoming more interesting and effective because of IT support. Now no geographical boundaries for students and teachers.

VI. DATA ANALYSIS

Research data was collected from students, teachers and parents of Indore. A total of 62 respondents were selected by convenience sampling method. The study is purely based on primary data collected by Google form. Total 20 questions were asked for data collection. Questions were designed for searching the impact of covid-19 on Students and teachers physical and mental health, teaching and learning patterns, use of virtual classes and future of education sector.

A. Respondents Group

Data was collected from 120 respondents. They are from different categories. 58 (48.4%) respondents were students of  different standards. 35 (29%) respondents were teachers of schools or colleges. 10 (8.1%) respondents were students as well as teachers. Rest 17 (14.5%) respondents were from different fields like BSNL employee, scholar, Director of college etc.

B. Age Group of Respondents

For the survey, age groups were divided in 5 categories. In this up to 15 years only 2 (1.6%) responses were received. In the 15 to 25 years age group, 58 (48.4%) respondents answered. 26-35 years age group, 19 (16.1%) respondents participated. In the 35 to 45 age group, 22 (17.7%) and in 45 and above age group 19 (16.1%) respondents answered the survey questions.

C. Covid-19 has Negative Impact on Education Field

For collecting data, Likert-scale questions were asked. Respondents were given one of five scales to answer the questions: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree. Out of 120 respondents, 24.2% strongly agree that COVID-19 has a negative impact on education.

48.4% of respondents agree.  19.4% of respondents were in a neutral position on the negative impact of COVID-19 on education. 6.5% of respondents disagree; no respondent strongly disagrees that COVID has a negative impact on education. 1 respondent answered that COVID-19 has a negative impact, but for students of that admission year and after that, it also brings some positive changes.

D. Today's Education is Better than the pre-Covid Era

Only 7.8% of respondents strongly agree that education is better than the pre-Cold War era. 39.1% of respondents agreed with that, and 26.6% were neutral about the answer. 23.4% of respondents disagree with the statement, and 3.1% strongly disagree, as per their opinion, education was better in the pre-Covid era.

E. Online Education Has Bad Effects On The Mental Health Of Students And Teachers

Out of 120 respondents, 18.8% strongly agree that online education has a bad effect on the mental health of students and teachers. 48.8% of respondents agreed with this statement. 25% of respondents were neutral. 7.8% of those polled disagreed, with no one strongly disagreeing.

F. Online Learning Has Effects On The Physical Health Of The Student And The Teacher

Out of 120 respondents, 29.7% strongly agree that online education has a bad effect on the physical health of students as well as teachers. 53.1% of respondents agreed with this statement. 10.9% of respondents were neutral. 6.3% of respondents disagreed, and no respondent strongly disagreed.

G. During the Lockdown, the Workload was Increased

Everywhere, COVID-19 has different effects. Some people lost their jobs, and they were free from work. Some were overloaded with work. 20.3% strongly agree. 43.8% of respondents agreed, 21.9% were neutral, 14.1% disagreed, and no respondent strongly disagreed that workload increased during lockdown.

H. After Lockdown, the Teaching pattern has been Changed

Out of 120 respondents, 12.5% strongly agree that the teaching pattern has changed since the lockdown.71.9% of respondents agreed with this statement. 6.3% of respondents were neutral. 7.8% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

I. The Quality of Teaching has Declined after COVID-19

Out of 120 respondents, 10.9% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.37.5% of respondents agreed with this statement. 17.2% of respondents were neutral. 32.8% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

J. Teachers Are More Comfortable With E-Learning Apps And Tools

Out of 120 respondents, 9.5% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown. 34.5% of respondents agreed with this statement. 22.2% of respondents were neutral. 30.2% of respondents disagreed, and 3.2% strongly disagreed.

K. After Lockdown, The Learning Pattern Has Been Changed

Out of 120 respondents, 8.8% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.59.4% of respondents agreed with this statement. 10.9% of respondents were neutral. 9.4% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

L. Students Are Not Prepared To Return To School After A Lockdown Because They Are At Ease At Home

Out of 120 respondents, 12.5% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.50% of respondents agreed with this statement. 12.5% of respondents were neutral. 25% of respondents disagreed, and no one strongly disagreed.

M. Most Of The Students' Behaviour Has Changed Since The Lockdown; They Are Now Introverts, Shy, And Grumpy

Out of 120 respondents, 23.4% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.34.4% of respondents agreed with this statement. 23.4% of respondents were neutral. 18.8% of respondents disagreed, and no one strongly disagreed.

N. After Lockdown, The Student's Writing Skills Are Badly Affected

Out of 120 respondents, 39.1% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown. 51.6% of respondents agreed with this statement. 4.7% of respondents were neutral. 4.7% of respondents disagreed.

O. Students Are More Comfortable With E-Learning Tools

7.8% of 120 respondents strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.60.9% of respondents agreed with this statement. 14.1% of respondents were neutral. 15.6% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

P. Following The Lockdown Students Do Not Focus On The Classroom Teacher's Teaching

Out of 120 respondents, 12.5% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.43.8% of respondents agreed with this statement. 25% of respondents were neutral. 17.2% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

Q. E-Learning Tools Are Making Education Easy

Out of 120 respondents, 9.4% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.64.1% of respondents agreed with this statement. 18.8% of respondents were neutral. 6.3% of respondents disagreed, and 1.6% strongly disagreed.

R. Because of E-Learning Tools And Apps, Better Education Is Possible In Rural And Remote Areas

Out of 120 respondents, 12.5% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown. 70.3% of respondents agreed with this statement. 9.4% of respondents were neutral. 4.7% of respondents disagreed, and 3.1% strongly disagreed.

S. Virtual Classes Are Better Than Physical Classes

Out of 120 respondents, 1.6% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.15.6% of respondents agreed with this statement. 15.6% of respondents were neutral. 50% of respondents disagreed, and 17.2% strongly disagreed.

T. Virtual Classes Are Good For Practical Subjects

Out of 120 respondents, 1.6% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown.18.8% of respondents agreed with this statement. 10.9% of respondents were neutral. 45.3% of respondents disagreed, and 23.4% strongly disagreed.

U. Virtual Classes And E-Education Are The Future Of Education

Out of 120 respondents, 6.3% strongly agree that the teaching has changed and declined since the lockdown. 42.9% of respondents agreed with this statement. 23.8% of respondents were neutral. 20.6% of respondents disagreed, and 6.3% strongly disagreed.

Conclusion

Worldwide lockdowns posed significant challenges to various sectors, and the education sector is one of them. India is one of them. The transition from classroom to online learning was fraught with several difficulties. Children were unequally affected by the closure of schools due to COVID because not all children had the opportunities, resources, or access to learn during the pandemic. Children were unequally affected by the closure of schools due to COVID because not all children had the opportunities, resources, or access to learn during the pandemic. Most of the students do not have resources for online education. Nor do they have laptops or desktops at home. Apart from these technical difficulties, there are health issues to deal with. The constant exposure to the screen causes eye strain and brain fog. Due to increased workload, teachers as well as students are depressed and get frustrated. Physical interaction with teachers has taken the place of virtual interaction. This lack of interaction has made education dull, demotivating, and uninteresting. After the lockdown, the teaching pattern has changed, and now teachers prefer e-learning tools for teaching. According to a survey, it may take at least 3 years to remove the shortage that has come due to COVID-19. With schools reopening in many states, it is important that a careful strategy be built in to smooth the transition of children back to school after a long period of home-based learning.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2023 Dr. Payal Jain. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.