Impact of COVID-19 on students

Thangminlun Haokip *

While the spread of the untamed-pandemic stroke and quiver all over the world, hampering people’s lives in a total pandemonium, with profuse news- both certitude and forgery, fluttering in from copious angles.

And the innumerous number of proliferating confirmed and active cases reported everyday in the television news shows, social media’s goes without saying- with graveyards flooded like the ‘Khwairamband market’ in a hustle-bustle manner as was always, devaluing the value or worth of life.

The world is at stake- wherever, whoever and whatever it may be, we are at stake. But amidst all these various issues, what in my opinion effecs the mos- not necessarily in the present but for the time to come, is the future and career of the young learners in our country, particularly here in our state, Manipur.

The COVID -19 pandemic has affected the educational system worldwide, leading the closure of schools, universities and colleges. The closure of these educational institutions not only interrupts the teaching for students;the closure also coincides with a key assessment period and many exams have been postponed or cancelled. Internal assessment are perhaps thought to be less important and may have been cancelled.

It is also possible that some students career might be benefit from the interruption. The global lockdown of educational institutions is going to cause major(and likely unequal) interruption in students’ learning; disruptions, internal assessments and the cancellation of public assessment for qualifications or their replacement by an inferior alternative.

It has been estimated to affect around 600 million learners across the world- the school going students in particular.

The big question here is- What can be done to mitigate these negative impacts faced by the students?

Despite where thousands of competitive minded students in most part of the country, accepting this so called ‘lockdown’, a bane to a boon, preparing themselves thoroughly for their lessons and various competitive exams coming ahead, precisely and wisely managing their time during these untolerable crisis, which gives them the maximum time more than needed due to extension of lockdown, providing the best environment for students to sit down on their table , utilizing various digitalised and computerised electronic gadgets to acquire more than what is supposed to be learn, joining online classes and what not.

But how painful it is to see the other side-a total contrast to what had just been pointed out, do we see in our context. Some exceptional students who have the will and quest to learn might perhaps be aware of the valuable time the lockdown had provided to prepare themselves at home for their own, despite the numerous ill-effects and impacts it cause to the people.

But it is hurting and discouraging as well as helpless to see tons of groups of youngsters and students in thei mid-schooling days are craving to fill their thirst- a thirst which is not meant to satisfy a thirst, one which does not keep oiling the engine of their life-a thirst that will thirst them for more.

They gave their precious but fruitless time to needless things, as such- playing online game, gone away with the fairies with social medias and what not when thousands as them out there, are reasonably and judiciously acquiring all feasible cognition from all possible and attainable ways, by hook or crook. This part, for an instance, is what I endured which is really demoralizing as a yound learned man.

I, for one, had tackled this predicament issue with a Lilliputian step towards ‘India’s leaning won’t stop’ amidst this pandemic with nebulous lockdown, had took up a home tuition for few eighth and tenth standard pupils, which according to my view is the only possible step and remedy for students living in the hills and remote places, when many good-to-do families in the cities nourished and supplement their children with online classes and so on.

The Information Service Television Network (ISTV), Imphal had launched and produced a series of educational videos based on online teaching, telecast a local network channel - ISTV Nongin, for students to learn through online and through television free of cost, where reputed and highly qualified teachers from various institutionse voluntered to teach on various topics, mainly for college students pursuing MSc and BSc, in particular. This has been one of the steps taken by the state to compensate students who are adversely affected by the lockdown.

The state government, particularly the Educational department should therefore, look over this current trending challenging issues by acting accordingly as needed in the swiftest possible means , as an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

As Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa who was also an anti-apartheid revolutionary, rightly quoted, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.