Kolkata, Apr 3 (UNI) The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide, leading to the widespread closures of schools and universities.
Almost 90 per cent of the world’s students are now affected by nationwide school closures due to the spread of coronavirus disease – that’s more than 1.5 billion children and young people. Combined with the physical distancing being practiced across the globe it’s not surprising that many young people are feeling more isolated, anxious and uncertain.
School closures impact not only students, teachers, and families, but have far-reaching economic and societal consequences. School closures in response to COVID-19 have shed light on various social and economic issues, including student debt, digital learning, food insecurity, and homelessness, as well as access to childcare, health care, housing, internet and disability services.
India declared a countrywide lock-down of schools and colleges on March 16. On March 19, the University Grants Commission asked universities to postpone exams till March 31. The board exams conducted by CBSE and ICSE boards have also been postponed until March 31.
The rate at which Coronavirus has spread to different regions in India has forced the central and state governments to shut down educational institutions and schools as a precautionary measure resulting in the disruption of studies.
The COVID-19 scare is giving sleepless nights to students who were to appear in entrance exams like JEE for B. Tech admissions and/ or to class 12 students appearing for Board exams.
With board exams, university exams, college exams, the entrance test being postponed, it will be a big challenge for colleges to complete their syllabus on time without compromising on the education quality. From delay in board exams to college being shutdown to delay in national level entrance tests, it is the academic year of the students that will suffer.
JEE Main which is the ticket to engineering education in India has already been postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak & will lead to the delay in the start of academic sessions for most of the engineering colleges and most of the other colleges will witness a delay as well. Not just that it is estimated that students aspiring to take admission in 2020 are now clueless as to how and where they should apply to colleges from here on.
A large chunk of India's admission system is fractured and most of the students in India rely on the offline process for admissions. It is a known fact that most people in the country do not have access to high-speed WiFi and most of the students in small cities/towns/ villages prefer the offline admission process.
Looking at the state of affairs, it is a matter of concern what the impact of COVID-19 will have on the higher education system in India.
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