Overarching inclusive pedagogies to survive the Covid era

For the last one and a half years, the world has been through a whirlwind due to the coronavirus pandemic. And with this disruption arises one of the biggest challenges created by COVID-19, which is the adaptability of an education system that has been built on the foundations of physical brick and mortar schools. At its peak, more than 188 countries, encompassing around 91% of enrolled learners worldwide, closed their educational institutes to try to contain the spread of the virus.

Even though the experience of in-person learning cannot be fully replaced, last year has shown us that the virtual learning education system can engage students in productive and meaningful ways to minimize the losses from the shutting down of educational institutions on a global level.

Currently, India has the largest higher education system in the world, enrolling 37.4 million students. In the last few years only, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) has increased from 25.8 in 2017–18 to 26.3 in 2018–19 and is expected to rise by 50% by 2035 due to the much-anticipated National Education Policy 2020.

With such a large student population, the pandemic outbreak and the consequent country-wide lockdown have pushed millions of students out of institutional education and as a result, despite a deep digital disparity, have vastly popularised online learning and assessment. The lockdown that started on 16th March 2020 brought with it a threat to the traditional classroom education and alongside, an awakening call to the importance of having a national infrastructure that reduces the digital divide and makes the delivery of online education a real possibility for every student in the country. It has stimulated governments, policymakers, and corporations to have in place a resilient backup management plan in the field of teaching and education.

To respond to this challenge, initiatives have been taken by various countries to provide equitable access to digital resources and innovative policies have been established to create inclusive learning conditions. In India, TV and radio channels are also being used to reach out to the learners in remote and the most difficult areas.

Despite the daunting challenges and uncertainties, teachers made it a priority to better and upgrade themselves, putting their best foot forward to learn the ropes of technology and new ways to effectively impart their modules. Schools, colleges, and universities have successfully created an online presence, keeping in touch with the students over Whatsapp and email; conducting classes on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and Cisco Webex, ensuring proper utilization of Virtual Learning Environment Like Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, etc. and incorporating online exams on AI proctored platforms such as Mercer Mettl, Examonline, Wheebox, etc. Interactive tools such as Padlet, Quizziz, and Ideaboardz help in making the lectures engaging and in breaking away from the monotony. Since the unprecedented global pandemic has completely disrupted the industry and made online education a requirement rather than just an optional step, ‘pandemic pedagogies’ has become the focus of the ed-tech industry.

Online teaching, distance education, and remote teaching are not new approaches to pedagogy or curriculum design, but they have undergone an extreme characteristic modification in the recent environment.

A positive attitude of the students, teachers, and parents has enabled smoother and efficient e-learning. If the last year has taught us anything, it is that the education industry needs to be prioritized – the creation of an infrastructure that supports everyone, closing the massive digital divide that exists in the country, investing in educational technology, preparing the industry to be ready for an extraordinary situation and allowing it to nurture the leaders of tomorrow.