6 Ways Corona Virus will Reshape the Future of Education

The world had encountered a standstill last year when it got hit by the deadly Covid-19 virus. This virus led to the death of millions around the globe and has crumbled the world economy completely. However, with the tireless work of pharmaceutical companies and scientists, we have successfully got the vaccine. With vaccination drives in full swing and the pandemic losing pace in the major countries, the economy aims for a turnaround. The education sector, which also came to a doldrum during this time, is expecting to make a comeback. The international students are again coming back to the campuses. While the pandemic prompted the conventional methods of education, that didn’t stop the academic faculties from coming up with innovative ways. The schools and colleges are continuously innovating to come up with newer measures to accommodate the students and maintain their safety simultaneously.

Let’s discuss six ways how Covid-19 is likely to shape the future of education –

1. Lack of Money

International Monetary Fund or the supreme governing body of the banks across the globe showed us grave trajectories in future. Their study deduced that the global growth projections would take a massive hit in the coming years. It is estimated that it will slump to -3 per cent from an existing 3.3 per cent. This negative trend in the budget implies that people will have lesser money. Hence, they will not be able to spend more on the education budget. And with health budgets always being the priority in troubled times, the education committee is also reluctant to hike their budget for education development.

The analysis of spending structures for education exposed the impact of the economic shocks. In developing countries, we can see a steep decline in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. The decline is so gaping that experts fear that the economy will take at least ten more years to recover from that. Global aids won’t be sufficient to fill the enormous gap. Since most first-world countries are slumping into a recession post covid, it is unlikely they can increase the aid amount.

2. The number of school dropouts will rise

The last two decades made us hopeful about more students getting an education. The graph was rising steadily even in developing countries. However, that has taken a severe blow during the pandemic. A shocking study by UNESCO revealed that almost 268 million students have dropped out of school during this period. The students have been scarred with severe economic shocks to continue further education. The situation is even worse for the girls. Many adolescents have been married during this period, and most are pregnant. There is a bleak chance that any of them will ever be returning to school.

3. The disparity in equal learning will increase

In most developing countries, government-aided schools and learning programs have closed. The countries relatively lesser hit by covid is in no good place either. They may not have closed yet, but they will most likely close within the coming months. There are no students, no money to sustain such programs which were supposed to empower the generation.

Before the pandemic, these countries had already faced a learning crisis. With the schools and colleges closed indefinitely, some are trying to educate the students through digital media. While this is not a problem in advanced countries, the remote places of the underdeveloped countries will suffer. Not all students have access to a mobile or a computer in poorer countries. So only the wealthy and access to technology will be educated. This will inevitably create a disparity between the two classes. The learning gap, which was already a problem, will only widen during the coming months.

4. EdTech fails to be the equalizer

EdTech was a modern educational innovation supposed to revolutionize the way of teaching. The goal was to enhance individualized education, improve student outcomes and reduce the teachers’ stress. Despite such high hopes from this new technology, it has failed to implement its benefits in society. It has failed to show any substantial proof that EdTech will replace the teachers. The government did its part by launching multiple learning apps for the students. While the intention is noble, these apps fail to resolve the inequality of the education levels. Despite numerous attempts to encourage students to avail these technologies, EdTech was unable to fulfil its potential as a substitute for teachers or schools.

But this is not baffling. EdTech is reliant on technology. But, unfortunately, many families in the world still have zero access to the internet. So, it is only natural that EdTech will fail.

5. Important exams are unfair during Covid

This has been a very confusing topic for the academic decision-makers on what to do about the exams during the pandemic. Many countries were so severely hit, and they cancelled every exam without any second thought. However, countries where the covid rate was not alarming after a year prioritized exams over security. This affected the students in two ways. First, they had brief classroom sessions before sitting for the exams. So, they were underprepared. Also, that compromised their health security. So, this continues to be a dilemma whether to carry on with the exams during this pandemic or not.

6. Disrupting education markets

The owners of the educational institutions suffered a lot during this phase. With all of them closed for over a year, receiving reduced fees lowered their revenues. They had to incur the heavy wages of all the faculties and other workers. Not only that, when the schools will fully reopen, they will face huge dropout numbers. That will be another blow to the owners. Facing such high losses have forced quite a few owners to close their school. The whole pandemic has seriously disrupted others who are trying to sustain.

Parting Thoughts

Nobody in their greatest nightmares ever imagined a world where everything would come to a standstill. Unfortunately, the disruption caused by a virus has pushed all our plans and goals further away. However, we are adapting to the new world post covid. These are some of the ways the world is trying to evolve and adapt to the new normal.

Author Bio:

Amelie Gruber has worked for MyAssignmenthelp.com for five years as an assignment writer. She shares her vast experience with the students and helps them with paraphrasing tool. She is also an avid musician and loves to sing.