For generation of students, examinations to cross the prize hurdles of class X and class XII are like crossing the worlds of struggle into the worlds of dreams, realities and glories to be achieved. However, the cursed impact of the global pandemic Covid 19 affected the normal way of life unlike any other catastrophe in the past, including the 2 world wars.
Online classes and examinations as well as class promotions on the basis of online examinations have entered into the academic cycle and school boards.
In India of 1450 million – consisting mostly of poor and middle class, rural areas and urban slums, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and female students – now the question arises on the issue of class room situation and existing traditional forms of education and examination versus online examination, criteria based evaluation and promotion and process of distance learning and IT and AI based education imparting system.
India, since gaining independence in 1947, has used prowess of its student power, conquering the world through learning, hard work, competitive spirit and mastery through strengthened form of traditional education. For a student, good education is also a defined route to economic freedom, sanskritized journey forward, mobility from rural or urban poverty, getting a lucrative job, social mobility inclusive of rank, honour and wider acceptance and finally, breaking the chain of prevalent widespread illiteracy. That is why, teacher-student relationship in India is in our Puranic text and has been strengthened further through IITs, IIMs and other specialized learning institutions.
In this context, impact of Covid-19 which has disrupted the institutional arrangements and introduced online system of education and examination, has led to loss of man hour contact between teachers and students, interaction between students themselves and peers, student activities incorporated in daily routine, organized and structured intellectual interaction and participation, sports and extra-curricular activities and individually targeted help provision for advancement of the limited, in-need pupils.
Some feel online examinations are not enough and a large percentage of students take recourse to cheating. They feel this is not good at all for final, competitive, selective scientific and specialized examinations. They feel, health of students is a priority and loss of time is a matter which cannot be avoided, still examinations must be conducted in a COVID-protocol based class room situation to prepare the students in an organized way for future.
While pandemic time will pass and impart us with a lesson to remember and a starting point to rebuild all our systems with best practice preparation, this extraordinary time imposes duties on Government (both at Centre and State levels), on parents, on teachers, on NGOs and society as a whole as far as issue of education for our children is concerned. Should not both Central and State governments think of incorporating artificial intelligence to replicate classroom situation which is different from online and in line with controlled inducive inclusive institutionalized classroom imparted education system? Loss of how much time due to Covid19 can be merged into the system of examination and promotion (as a large number of Indian students apply for Universities / Colleges in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Singapore etc. and must be prepared suitably to succeed in the prescribed tests and adjudicated systems to qualify) without affecting the career prospects of the student and his planning for better education? Can examinations be planned in a safe, controlled and planned manner? What will be the role of parents, teachers, PTAs, NGOs dealing with education and empowerment issues to pick up all the relevant aspects of a best practice system to bottle the effects of the pandemic and advise on how to suitably address the issues affecting school and college education and examination system and to strengthen the online education system by mending its flaws and adding a review system?
Education is one of the fastest growing industry of India. It contributes substantial in numbers by way of GDP and brain, ability and building of future. Pandemics will come and test the country and economy. We must plan, protect and improve our ways to see that students are educated in a scientific, utilitarian, ideal and planned manner; examinations are conducted to test competitiveness, growth, knowledge base and seriousness of the students for their future development and continuously learn and supplant to the right to education despite such sufferings imposed by COVID 19 pandemic.
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