Kushal Pokharel

AN alarming rise in daily COVID-19 cases over the past week clearly indicates that a second wave of the pandemic has arrived in Nepal. With the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) stating that coming 14 weeks will be critical for the country, the gravity of the situation can be assessed. Media reports are also flooded with the message from public health experts, including doctors that the new strain of the virus spreads thick and fast and is deadlier than the previous one. Amid mounting pressure from health experts, the government has decided to shut down educational institutions (schools, colleges, tuition centres) in urban areas until the end of Baisakh though the private schools in particular have opposed the move.

Challenging task
Needless to say, the prolonged lockdown last year had a severe impact on the education sector let alone others. Failing to learn from the past, it appears to be increasingly challenging to manage virtual education in the pandemic period. In this regard, the authorities concerned seem to have failed to devise a carefully thought out plan to address the educational needs of students. While there was an opportunity to revisit the last year’s strategies of operationalising online education in between past few months before the present onset through research, this idea went unheeded. Consequently, the entire education community is in a dilemma over the management of education in the coming days.
Virtual education as a new norm remains to be internalised. While a plethora of global research findings increasingly indicate the effectiveness of online learning in the same way as in-person classes to enhance students’ knowledge and skills, policymakers in our context are particularly skeptical of the effectiveness of the online mode. Instead of directing the state’s resources towards making online education more systematic and effective, the approach has been rather reactive.
What is distressing to note is that the physical closure of schools and colleges is even being considered as unofficial holidays which will have a disastrous effect on the learning of students. Much-needed discussions on meaningfully engaging students in their studies while at home ensuring their psycho-social wellbeing in these testing times are hugely missing. Equating education with core curricula and examination has overridden any serious thinking in the direction of making students learn from their own observations and experiences during the COVID crisis is not on the cards.
Better late than never, the government can still begin the process of massive stakeholder consultations to manage education in the COVID era. A joint roundtable of education experts, education managers, teachers, students and policymakers to deliberate into the myriad aspects of education management in the new normal could be a good beginning. By listening to the genuine concerns of the education institutions, students and teachers, the government and the concerned ministry can devise a short- and long-term strategy to give continuity to the teaching-learning activities through alternative means. In places where internet is accessible, the government should direct all its efforts towards bringing all students under the online learning system. This might require allocating some financial resources to the needy students in the form of providing internet data pack and other similar services. Likewise, distant education through national radio and television can be effective to keep the students intact in their studies in remote areas where there is the problem of network technology. This will require promoting awareness about the ongoing initiatives of the government.

Quality assurance
In the same way, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in collaboration with schools, colleges and universities, can organise a policy-level discussion on devising new methods of students’ assessment to promote them to next grade. Instead of waiting for the situation to normalise to conduct physical examinations, it would be useful to authorise the respective education institutions to conduct examinations with quality assurance. In this regard, it is crucial to note that owing to a lack of timely decisions on examination, many students got stagnated last year.
Exposing students to new forms of learning materials, including videos, podcasts and other digital learning resources, can ensure effective learning. Ample opportunities to engage students thoughtfully with subject matter through virtual discussions and individual follow ups are possible. In this connection, the authorities should provide proper orientation to teachers and students about the effective utilisation of the online platform. However, this requires a clear vision on the part of the policymakers and administrators themselves about the prominence of the online education.

(The author is an independent researcher and faculty of social science and research. kushalpokharel03@gmail.com)