Going to school is still the best public policy tool available to introduce new skills to students: Siddharth, LBSIM

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is primarily a crisis. Many states, cities, and countries have prudently decided to shut down schools, colleges, and universities. The dilemma that the policymakers are facing- between closing schools (reducing contact and saving lives) and keeping them open (allowing workers to work and maintaining the economy) is invalid.

The severe short-term disruption is felt by many families around the world because homeschooling is not only a massive shock to parents’ productivity but also to children’s social life and learning. Teaching, whether we like it or not, is moving online, on an untested and unprecedented scale. Zoom application’s (an app to hold webinars, meetings or video lectures) success is evident.

Student assessments are also moving online, with a lot of trial and error and uncertainty for everyone. Many assessments have simply been cancelled or halted for now. LBSIM also decided to halt the ongoing end-term examinations until the situation escalates.

Importantly, these interruptions will not just be a short-term issue, but can also have long-term consequences for the affected group and are likely to increase inequality.

From the conventional method of schooling, things might become orthodox in the sense that learning can move to digital platforms like Zoom or Skype. There is a pre-existing online education industry which is successful enough to thrive.

I believe that going to school is still the best public policy tool available to introduce new skills to students. While school time can be fun and raise social skills and social awareness, the primary point of being in school is that it enhances a child’s abilities and skills. Even a relatively short time in school does this and also, a short period of school missed will have its consequences for skill growth.

The most important learning tools in the 21^st century are not books or professors, it is the peer group. The capacity to grow in a circle of friends who are smart, driven and passionate cannot be reflected by any other method.

Having said this, colleges will not change their entire pedagogical system. For them, the convenience is way too much to enforce a huge change like this. Not to mention the aspirants also prefer the conventional method of teaching.

The potential of this market is huge but its time hasn’t arrived yet.

An ideal online teaching methodology includes live video lectures (not recorded), doubt sessions, and periodic tests to gauge the level of understanding and various feedback mechanisms to continually monitor the effectiveness of such an endeavour. There has to be a physical component as well to encourage the aforementioned point about peer to peer learning. The social life is crucial as well in the overall holistic development of a student.

About the Author:

Siddharth Prasad is an engineering graduate from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal with a passion for the Marketing profession. He is currently pursuing MBA from LBSIM. Writing blogs and articles is his hobby that developed over time. He writes on a plethora of topics ranging from Economics to Cricket.