SAARC-level education ministers’ experience-sharing about teaching/learning during COVID-19
KATHMANDU, Oct 9: The education ministers from all member states of SAARC have convened virtually to share their respective experiences on COVID-19 effects on education in the SAARC region.
As per the survey, COVID-19 and lockdown have a double impact on children in limiting their access to education, health services, nutritious food, and safety.
A study has shown that coronavirus has adversely affected the education sector in Karnali. According to the study conducted by National Campaign for Education (NCE) Nepal, more than 27,000 children in Karnali are deprived of education due to the impact of COVID-19.
According to the study, nine percent of the total students, or 27,000 students, are deprived from education during the epidemic. Due to geographical remoteness and lack of alternative means of learning, the number of students have been completely deprived of education.
Children learn much more than reading and math when they attend school in person; they also learn critical social and emotional skills they will carry into adulthood. Switching traditional education to online education can affect children differently.
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, affecting almost all countries and territories. The outbreak was first detected in December 2019 in China’s Wuhan Province.
Countries around the world have been asking the public to take responsive care. The public care habits include washing hands, wearing face masks, maintaining physical distance, and avoiding mass gatherings and assemblies. Enforcing lockdown and staying isolated at home have also been put in place in an attempt to flatten the curve and control the transmission of the disease.
The pandemic has created an unprecedented disruption in the education system in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries. The closure of schools, educational institutions and other learning spaces have impacted more than 94% of the world’s student population. Social distancing and restriction orders have significantly impacted traditional educational practices. Within a short span of the COVID-19 pandemic, many researchers have shared their works on teaching and learning in different ways. The need of the hour is to undertake innovation and implement alternative educational methodologies and assessment strategies.
Prior to the pandemic, one out of every 5 children, adolescents and youth globally were out of school. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the country is home to approximately seven million students, with more than five million enrolled in government-funded public schools between 2017 and 2018. On March 18, 2020, the federal government closed all schools and colleges in the country in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.In the meantime, there some attempts have been made to conduct classroom learning activities remotely, through broadcasts on television and radio and online platforms, though virtual options remain difficult in a country where access to the internet and computers is unevenly distributed. In fact, most schools don't even have internet connectivity, as noted in the 2020-2021 Economic Survey (Ministry of Finance), which reported that only 12 percent of public schools have the capacity to offer information and communication technology- (ICT) based learning.
Despite having significant strength and unprecedented accessibility to quality education, there are weaknesses inherent in the use of this medium that can pose potential threats to the success of any online program. Before any online program leads to success, it must have students who are able to access the online learning environment. Lack of access, whether it be due to economic or logistic reasons,will exclude otherwise eligible students from the course which is a significant issue in a country like Nepal. Both the students and facilitator must possess a minimum level knowledge of various kinds of digital applications like ; Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, and many more to function successfully in an online environment . However, disruption at any point during online sessions due to limited internet access or sometimes due to power cut-off is liable to impact the smooth teaching-learning activity. In such a situation, the technology is neither seamless nor reliable and can detract from the learning experience.
Beyond the educational impacts of online learning are its developmental impacts. Children learn much more than reading and math when they attend school in person; they also learn critical social and emotional skills they will carry into adulthood. Switching traditional education to online education can affect children differently. It is found that many students are skipping classes and playing games online instead of focusing on their classes. Students are socially isolated during online classes which has reduced interactions with their family members. Children remain unmotivated these days due to lack of group work , group presentation and many other activities which used to be in schools. They are forced to work in isolation which results in a lack of motive and confidence within them.
The uncertainty and disruption of the pandemic, coupled with the subsequent shift to online learning, can take an emotional toll on children. Additionally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 3.7 million children ages 12-17 receive mental health services at school,but they are not at school to receive it. The social isolation a child may feel during online education can lead to depression. Children may be worried about themselves or family members contracting COVID-19. They may have loved ones who are sick with the virus or may have lost a family member. Parents are concerned about the long-term effects of online learning on their children. Parents, teachers, and students were blindsided when the pandemic forced schools across the country to close. Even as some schools have begun to reopen, others have remained closed and millions of students are still learning remotely to some degree.
As the impact of online education becomes more apparent, families and educators can learn valuable information and use this as an opportunity to grow.
ANKARA: Schools in Turkey reopened for the new school year with in-person education resumed following months of shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, amid the progress in a nationwide vaccination campaign.
The new guidelines issued by the government recommend vaccination for everyone involved in education, from parents to teachers, while all students, teachers and other staff, as well as visitors, are required to wear face masks. The Turkish Ministry of National Education, in cooperation with the Health Ministry, will use a new "data integration system" to track the health status of teachers and students.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has proposed free education up to secondary level for the children orphaned by COVID-19 through its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
MAKWANPUR, June 7: Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning of the Bagmati Province, Kailash Prasad Dhungel, has reaffirmed his commitment to prioritize prevention and control of COVID-19 and to treat the infected ones in the new budget, policy and programme.
Talking to Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) at his office today, Minister Dhungel shared that the policy and programme for new fiscal year 2021/22 to be presented within May 9 or 10 will introduce economic stimulus to COVID-19 patients and their families.
Furthermore, the provincial government will also underscore construction of physical infrastructures in all its 13 districts. A taskforce will be formed very soon for facilitation of COVID-19 test and treatment in 10 districts in the Province, shared Dhungel.
According to him, establishment of oxygen plants, upgradation of Hospitals with HDU, ventilators and ICU facilities among others are atop the agenda of the provincial government.
The provincial government has also prioritized distribution of relief packages and economic stimulus to the COVID-19 patients with special focus on the impoverished and Dalit communities.
The new plan and policies will also underscore national pride projects and quality enhancement of the education sector, he said. Plan and policies also include promotion of agriculture sector and making the province self-sufficient in dairy products and meat.
The new budget for the Province, estimated to be over Rs 54 billion, for the new fiscal year will be allocated impartially and proportionately as well as in respect of the sentiments of the opposition parties, he assured.
The world is currently under the cold grip of the coronavirus pandemic. While affecting almost every sector of business, commerce, research and development, it is also leaving a major impact on education. The fear of spread of the pandemic has resulted in complete stoppage of on-site learning activities keeping billions of students at home. While many of the developed and developing countries with robust digital infrastructure have the option to continue education through online platforms, it has attracted discussion about the feasibility of online education. in Nepal. Nepal has widely developed its access to the internet ever since it was first introduced in 1993 but it is still insufficient to incorporate ONLINE media as an inclusive option. We have been heavily relying on on-site teaching learning, but now we all need to accept the fact that ONLINE education is the new normal.
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Invention and Innovation: The Context
This is one of the most heard, said and popular proverbs in our everyday life. The phrase is mostly used when we need some creativity in our tasks. Its context was first coined in the Republic by Plato in around 380BC.
With ancient stories of Greek civilizations to the current day of moon missions, we have read and heard many stories of spectacular and life changing inventions. While some may argue, some inventions are accidental or unintended, as the invention of Microwave in 1946 by Percy Spencer and Pacemaker in 1956 by Wilson Greatbatch, most inventions come out of brilliant ideas and continuous effort. Accidental discoveries also were results of efforts towards invention. Invention of Microwave by Percy while working on radar-based project and invention of Pacemaker by Wilson while building heart rhythm recording are some examples of it.
So, what exactly is innovation? Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Properly defines inventions as use of technology to solve a specific problem. In general terms, innovations are new creations, which help us to find out the reality of the unknown.
Invention and Innovation: Comparison
In its purest sense, invention can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of process or device for the first time. Innovation on the other hand occurs, if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process or service. Thomas Alva Edison is known as Father of Invention of the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb and the motion picture camera while Steve Jobs can be seen as a poster boy of innovation for his work in Apple for iPhone.
Innovation in Education: History of Distance Education
“In 1840, an English educator, Sir Isaac Pitman, taught shorthand by mail”. Pitman would mail text on postcards to students, and students would mail their assignments back to him. This can arguably be considered as the beginning of distance learning.
University of London is the first institution of higher education to embrace correspondence courses, offering degrees worldwide to people who were not able to study full-time on campus in 1858. Over 100 years later Nelson Mandela studied law as a University of London student while imprisoned on Robben Island.
Distance education started in Nepal by the College of Education in 1957 by launching the ‘Radio Education Program’ for teacher training and promoting adult education.
The initial medium of delivery for distance education included mail (Pitman), radio, television. The Internet is now the largest delivery medium of online education.
Embracing the Change: Online Classes in Nepal
Online learning is the application of distance learning. While distance learning only identifies geography as a factor By definition, online learning includes some form of interactivity in learning. Nepal Open University was opened as a result of Nepal Open University Act 2073 (Bikram Sambat) , embracing the change by providing higher education and training through open and distance mode. The university currently provides an open-source platform known as Moodle for teaching and learning purposes.
Nepal has its own issues and challenges regarding the current trend of distance education. The students in the remote areas of geographical remote places have always been deprived of access to education due to lack of timely availability of printed books and the required number of schoolteachers.
The same pattern reflects in case of distance education. The geographical complexity, the affordability of basic home-based infrastructure like the internet and a computer system is a challenge that hinders distance learning for rural households and students. Accessibility of the internet necessary to conduct distance classes have been major hurdles for reachability in those areas.
Many universities and colleges like Harvard, Stanford etc. are currently providing online education also called “Massive Online Open Courses” (MOOC). It’s time, Nepal must adapt to the world education scenario by embracing the change of technology.
I have not seen discussion about - what happens if we do not continue education during the COVID-19 pandemic? What will be its future impact globally or at least to Nepal?
Crisis Triggered Online Learning: Delivery in Nepal
Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, major countries of the world, including Nepal, have been going through the ‘shutdown’ as a measure to control the spread of the virus. This has caused a stoppage of on-site teaching and learning activities of all academic institutions in Nepal. The stoppage has resulted in education deprivation for almost a third of Nepal's student population.
The youth group of Nepal is increasing, with it, the number of students is also increasing. Nepal is more inclined in providing classroom-based teaching learning. According to the Ministry of Education, Nepal there are about 75000 (Seventy-Five Thousand) academic institutions providing on-site teaching and learning facilities.
Immediate impact of current lockdown has about half a million of Secondary Education Examination (SEE) students appearing to face undefined examination schedules. As this crisis looms, it is likely to hamper academic progression of even greater numbers of higher education students. As per Census and Economic Information Center (CEIC) Data, there are approximately 8 million students in Nepal who are currently staying at home as a result of lockdown.
Some academic institutions providing higher secondary level education estimated the impact beforehand and started online delivery of classes before or immediately after shutdown. Many schools and other academic institutions have joined the practice of online delivery. The largest university in Nepal, the Tribhuwan University has started online classes from 26th of April 2020. This shift in paradigm is resultant of the current COVID crisis.
Way forward
There are various opinions regarding the process, policy, reach and effectiveness of online classes, however, the advent of this online teaching and learning journey is commendable. Some experts may see online classes just as a remedy to overcome the current crisis, but it has certainly triggered the debate of online learning in Nepal. Online learning, if properly executed, can provide a platform providing access to many students that distributes equitable knowledge and skills.
The need for world class knowledge and skill are ever demanding. We need to make our students capable of competing with students of developed countries. Our country has issues of the internet and other resources which still are constraints to fully conduct online, but they can always be the medium to introduce innovation in delivery of education.
This initiation should not be just taken as a mere containment strategy to address the current COVID crisis. It should be incorporated by all stakeholders as an integral part of the education platform. Let’s embrace the innovation in learning through online delivery, as driven by crisis and need, it can certainly pave the way for inclusive online education in Nepal for the coming days.
Several higher education institutions around the world are experimenting with innovative approaches to teaching and learning in order to train future generations with skills for innovation. Harvard University launched a new Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) in 2012 “to encourage pedagogical innovation and strengthen learning and teaching throughout the University”. It is time, Nepal also should start implementing innovative approaches in the field of education.
There have been encouraging initiatives to make contents online, but they are limited to fewer courses and reachability. Nepal currently lacks infrastructure to immediately implement innovative approaches of teaching learning for all curriculum and levels. It might not be possible to do it all at once, but we should attempt to incorporate innovative approaches to teaching learning activities if we intend to give better education for all students and prepare them ready for competitiveness for opportunities in the world market. The innovations may be focused on effective instructional design and self-paced learning, accessibility of internet and reachability to rural geographic areas and coverage of course based curriculum among many others.
Napoleon Hill once said, “Don’t wait, the time will never be just right”. The current COVID scenario has put us in a challenging situation, and challenge brings innovation. Let’s start the innovation of education in Nepal from today for a better tomorrow.
KARNALI, May 23: As educational institutions including schools and colleges remain shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has had direct impact on the children and youths. Though students in the urban centres have continued their education with online classes, students in the remote and rural parts of the country are deprived of it.
Hence this has affected not only their regular classes but also impacted their psychology. Considering this fact, the Unified All Nepal Teachers Association Central Working Committee has organized a three-day national talk programme on 'COVID-19 and its impact and educational consultation' that began on Saturday.
Speaking in the first session of the event, education campaigner Srimant Bhattarai said the current time was an important opportunity to provide children with some practical knowledge and skills. "As our education is not practical, it has forced youths to leave the country rather than take up agriculture as a profession," he said.
He also emphasized on the need to understand child psychology to give them an atmosphere conducive for learning.
Scholar Dr Yogi Bikasananda suggested the government to develop a curriculum that helps students enhance their immunity system.
Central chair of the Association Shanker Adhikari said the event was organized considering all factors that are associated with students, teachers and guardians.
A total of 811 participants including students, teachers, guardians and experts attended the first day of the event held virtually.
