Schooling: A redefined experience
Opinion
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Several Indian states have reopened or are planning to reopen schools for students from classes 9-12 in order to restore the in-person learning experience.
The closure we didn’t want
School closures due to Covid-19 have affected the education system worldwide. It has significantly disrupted the process of delivering education, affecting nearly 50% of the world’s students. UNESCO research states that over 100 million students will fall below the proficiency level in reading as a result of the health crisis.
This has also over-burdened all stakeholders - from policymakers and management to teachers and students - making drastic and possibly uncharted changes inevitable to the entire education system.
Remote learning: The “new normal”
Digital classrooms have become the norm with several schools adopting a 100% virtual learning model. This expedited the process of adapting to a digital environment for teachers more than students, but has advantages that the system may want to retain:
Zero travel helps save time, money and effort
Classes are easy to record and document, enabling access to content at any time
Examinations are operationally easier to execute, and mapping of student progress is transparent and data-driven
Physical classrooms: Beyond academics
Schools have always provided a holistic environment for all kinds of learning. Beyond academics lie several reasons why schooling benefits not just students but parents and teachers alike.
Personal interactions hone communication skills, help forge friendships, as well as develop teacher-student relationships - all critical for overall social development.
Classrooms make for a level playing field for students from all backgrounds - the less privileged suffer in a virtual learning environment, which requires digital gadgets for basic access to education.
Physical classrooms: Easier for parents, teachers too
For working parents, sending children to school has been a boon, helping them earn an income and run their household. Virtual environments necessitate parental supervision and therefore binding one parent to this job.
In-person schooling is easier for teachers to gauge students’ interest and modulate the environment, while also nurturing and enabling engagement in extracurricular activities.
Headed to hybrid
Human attention span has reduced to 8 seconds especially in virtual settings, which might make it difficult for children to retain information.
While workforces are headed to hybrid models of finding a balance between WFH and WFO, it seems unlikely for schools to adopt the same. However, it may be a reality soon considering the endless possibilities of virus variants that come with coronavirus.
Adult vaccination: The first step
While we await vaccination to start for children, vaccination of all adults is the first step to opening schools, allowing a relatively safe environment for physical classrooms.
A report from NDTV says, “Evidence of more than 15 months suggests schools do not contribute to the transmission of Covid-19 more than what children are exposed to at their homes – from parents and other family members.”
Start to the end game
Getting vaccinated, following social distancing, wearing a mask, and committing to Covid appropriate behaviour is the only way to bounce back to a version of normal that people knew before 2020. Otherwise, we may end up with a drastic gap in the education levels of children from different income households.
Covid-19: Vaccination for children
Covid-19
As experts and some states stress for a staggered reopening of schools in the country, it is crucial to know the status of Covid-19 vaccines for children* in India. Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of the AIIMS, said that vaccines for children would be available in India by September 2021.
How will this be done and why is it necessary?
*Children - The population below 18 years of age.
Covid-19 in children
Globally, Covid-19 symptoms have been milder in children than in adults.
As per experience from the second wave of coronavirus in India, where a lot of children were affected and also exposed to infected adults, most people believe that many children could have developed natural immunity.
However, just like adults, children can also transmit the coronavirus to others, providing chances for the virus to mutate further. Fewer overall infections among the population means less chance of dangerous coronavirus variants.
Impending third wave
Indonesia, currently the epicentre of Covid-19, reported more than 150 child deaths last week, a mortality rate greater than any other country among children and one that challenges the idea of children facing minimal risk from Covid-19.
The third wave is impending globally and in India as well. As per the stronger theories, the third wave would affect children the most.
Are Covid-19 vaccines safe for children?
Many countries have started vaccinating children with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine in the 12-18 age group. Pfizer has reported that the side effects of the shots appear to be similar in children and adults. Meanwhile, trials for younger children are almost at completion. Doctors and experts believe that the benefits of children being vaccinated for Covid-19 outweigh the risks.
Vaccination options for children in India
Preliminary trial data from the vaccines that will be available in India for children below 18 years of age is encouraging.
Covaxin: The second dose of Covaxin is likely to be administered to children aged 2-6 years in trials next week, while it has already been given to children between the ages of 6-12 years at the Delhi AIIMS. Trial results are expected in early September.
Zydus Cadila: The clinical trial of its DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D is complete for the 12-18 age group. Subject to statutory permissions, the vaccines may be available in the near future.
Sputnik V: Ongoing early trials of Sputnik V vaccination among children aged 12-17 years have started in Moscow. As the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has already authorized the use of Sputnik V for adults in India, accessibility for the below 18 age group would be easier.
Pfizer & Moderna: Already approved by a couple of countries abroad for the 12-18 years age group, both vaccines can be a viable option to consider in India.
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