College in Corona Times

 

College in Corona times!

Let me start with a disclaimer. Online education is very good, in fact in these Covid times of isolation and distancing, it is the only way learning is continuing.

I also totally agree with people who say:

  •  Online learning is empowering, because it provides ‘standardized’ learning to students at the place wherever they are.
  •  The costs are lower because it saves up on food and residence, fuel and transport and for the educational institutions - real estate.
  •   E-learners are supposed to have better job prospects because companies and corporate offices prefer to employ people who are familiar with technology.

Please recall that online or e-learning, also called distance learning or remote learning, is different from distance education or correspondence courses run by the universities for outstation or working students desirous of following their courses. In that method course material is sent to you by mail and barring the one or two week contact programme, you are to complete your assignments on your own and then go to sit for an examination at a designated examination centre.

However, it is not as if the current virus attack brought digital learning as a surprise boon for us. There have been hundreds of online courses and tutorials already going on with successful results.

What I am angry with the virus for is, affecting the lives of hundreds and thousands of students, in ways not ever imagined. 

Let me tell you what I am talking about.

Unlike other countries where only a small percentage of students attend college after passing out from school, lakhs of Indian students go to college and even to university, to continue their education. They are not necessarily certain what they want to do in life, but most of them do so because their parents or the society expects them to/they are grossly miscalculating the job prospects after completing that degree/ it is ‘let me join the course I am getting admission to and shall see later’/and very rarely to test what subject interests them the most.

Whatever be the reason, college for almost all of them means freedom from the clutches of discipline of parents and teachers, flexible study hours and less pressure.

Since March 2020, the school calendar has been skewed. There is no time-plan for anything - final examinations, entrance tests or beginning of new academic session. In fact, those who started college last summer have had no introduction to college life. For them the biggest disadvantage is that the virus has robbed them of the college campus experience.

The college campus atmosphere in spite of the stress on studies, is vibrant and you can choose to join literary/declamation/music/sports & athletics clubs and activities. You are older than you were in school and your parents loosen the leash to let you hang out with friends, go for a hike or watch a film. You can also be a bookworm and continue your journey from lectures and classrooms to back home. The windows of young minds open as they are exposed to new educational resources in the form of learned lecturers and professors or counselors.

Your circle of friends changes as you are exposed to a different social life. The experience coming from interacting with people from varied backgrounds can bring about significant changes in your thinking and personality. 

Most of the times the associations formed in these years become life-long friendships. The students also learn to manage time because unlike in school, here they have neither the carrot nor the stick of persistent school teachers reminding them to attend classes, complete assignments or come to class on time.

The colleges, especially professional or residential colleges in our country where alumni associations are strong, provide a sense of belonging besides the comfort later that you know someone from old times. College is the place where young people learn to share and discuss thoughts which encourage new ways of expression and thinking.

The out-of-town students who go to live in hostels, paying guest accommodation, with relatives or rent rooms, learn survival in a different atmosphere within a short time, which whether intimidating or exciting, is a big lesson for life. From a situation where they do not know much, they learn how to buy, cook, clean, to share bathrooms, and discuss girl/boy friend problems, gaming or sports.  Thank god for roommates who wake you up even if the alarm clock fails or send warning signals for warden’s surprise visits so that one can hide the contraband or the forbidden. The helpful ones can also be the conduit for communication with someone special from the opposite gender, listen to personal issues and give free advice, examine your choice of attire or are simply serious study-buddies for over-nighters the night before the big exam; yet if you have been unlucky in the assignment of a roommate, then you learn how to be patient or to fend for yourself.

The small numbers make meaningful personal relationships possible. They learn to study together, seek or give help. Always being among friends or roommates, they pick up tricks to strike a balance between time for studying and for fun.

The students not only learn to make choices about their priorities, but also to handle their own finances as they operate their bank accounts, use ATM card and pay bills.

Since the spring of 2020 students who were studying in colleges overseas have had a tough time with no change in fees, but inconvenient class hours, technological issues, isolation and the anxiety what-if-I-am-not-able-to-go-back because of the restrictions. Those who were stuck there have been missing families and the comfort of home during holidays.

The colleges have remained closed most of the time, forcing the students to study online (A newscast on a TV channel recently showed how students from villages face connectivity problems and have to walk miles to be able to find network connectivity so that they can follow their lessons) and fend for themselves.

When I think of all this, my blood simmers. Naturally, I say darn this virus. In the absence of any practical solutions for this, my only prayer is for its annihilation. Amen!

                                                                                                  - Anupama S Mani























Comments

  1. Those who are introvert had gala time as they can study from home.Well written.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Since I am teaching online at IIMA and IIMB, and always make it a point to ask the students, in small groups, their problems (over zoom meetings, of course), I agree that what Anupama says is true. Many of them have interconnectivity problems and sometimes have to switch off their videos, sometimes they can't attend the class at all. This is from a relatively better off set of students (still many of them live in small towns and a few, in villages). I know the intense interactions that go on in the campus life in the good old days, being an alumnus of IIMA myself, and many become friends for life. I doubt whether that will happen with this present batch and the one which passed out last year. They miss so much in their life.

    This is nothing compared to online schooling, which means no schooling at all for a lot, lot many children. Many,many have no smart phones, and if they do, have patchy internet connectivity. They are losing years of their childhood and education. Hope not, for ever.

    We can only hope this becomes a thing of the past at least next year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have put it very well. Besides, online learning amounts to getting a degree only while attending regular college also adds value in the lives of young men and women by way of enhancing their social skills. They learn to live among and with people and the absence of this kind of learning can be a cause of anxiety and fear of not being accepted when they start dealing with people in their working atmosphere.

      Delete
    2. Right ..
      My daughter was an introvert, she preferred her own company as long as she was at home. It was only when she had to move to a hostel for undergraduate studies, that she learnt how to live in a community, how to deal and interact with people who were not her family members and how to make friends. There was a major change in her personality. If her college had been an online one, she wouldn't have developed into a friendly, pleasing and well-liked person that she is today.

      Delete
  3. Very well written. Students going to join college are excited and crazy for the absolutely new environment. They come across so many different things which develops them socially and a complete transformation takes place. They get access to various aspects of life. Due to pandemic situation they are in pitiful state with no fun and excitement rather just gazing on their laptops or computers.
    They are missing complete fun with friends and colleagues. I just pray to God for the pandemic time to get over now so that everything becomes normal. Loved reading it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Patriots for a day

Back with a firmer resolve

Pause for a smile!