Rethinking education

The post pandemic world

JUST like as many other sectors of the economy which has been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no brainer that the education sector has not been spared either and had to face the full brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially at its peak last year when schools had to be closed for almost seven months. As we still grapple with the COVID-19 crisis, however, on a much smaller scale now, the flow-on effects from this crisis particularly because of the prolonged closure of schools is still felt today in nearly all facets of education with things being not so rosy for us as well. Quite rightly, we see governments right across the globe doing their level best to see that funding remains equitable with the changing times so that there is minimal impact on the education system. For a developing country such as ours, this pandemic has been like a hammer blow to the education system as it has greatly impeded our ability to achieve the goals and aspirations set out in the national development plan and the SDGs.

Challenges and opportunities

The challenges for a small island developing state (SIDs) like ours has been of huge proportion right from budgetary allocation to providing timely psychosocial support to name a few. The fault line is how the developing countries are going to finance their education budget due to revenue being seriously affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, this has affected the ability of smaller nations to effectively strategise to achieve SDG goal 4. The learning loss because of this pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of students. It would be interesting to know probably through research the ripple effect the COVID-19 crisis has had and would have on the whole education system. Arguably, the pandemic also magnified the challenges rural communities faced in terms of digital learning because of its remote location and access to network. Interestingly, on the flip side, the pandemic has provided some wonderful opportunities especially in the area of ICT where platforms such as Google meet, zoom and other web-based education applications were used to conduct classes and could be the game changer on how technology could be best used progressively to enhance learning.

Equity v equality

There has never been so much debate on issues pertaining to equity and equality so much as of now when compared to the past years because of the impact this crisis had on the education system with education policymakers continuously innovating to formulate equitable policies to see that no child is left behind. The reality of the matter is these policies need to be more targeted to address the specific issues in education that exists in our society exacerbated by the pandemic. There is a fundamental shift in the way things are being done now and to keep up the pace, educators must change the economic imperative to improve the status quo so that we remain aligned with other developed countries. The close nexus between macro and micro education planning is indispensable to see that educational outcomes are achieved. Unequivocally, considering the rising educational inequalities aggravated by pandemic it is critical to assess our progress and recalibrate policies aiming to strengthen the educational outputs for us as a nation.

Stakeholders

Education stakeholders are fronting unprecedented scenarios and have to do whatever they can within their means to see education remains relevant. The Education Minister in The Fiji Times on May 13 announced that a revision of the curriculum is in progress and some already trialed and ready to be fully implemented. This is very timely as contextualising and decolonising curriculum has always been work in progress and this is precisely done to see that, on one hand, we remain on par with other developed countries and we are able to effectively incorporate our local culture. As subscribers of SDG goals and especially SDG 4 – “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” – the stakeholders need to reconnect to these goals, aims and objectives to realign priorities to achieve the desired outcomes. Teachers and educators have been at the frontline of having the firsthand experience of the impact of this pandemic on children’s learning and how education has transformed and what is the new normal in education. In this post-pandemic era, it is no longer business as usual for them as it continuously requires refining and innovating the pedagogical approaches to meet the demands of the postpandemic classroom. Essentially, it is imperative that stakeholders engage in a meaningful way to revamp our education system to address issues such as gender disparity and rural-urban divide that exists in education heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The way forward

In essence, goal setting and educational planning will form the core part to see that a right and healthy balance is struck between the different policies and strategies in an educational setting at levels. On a good note, the recent pronouncements by Health Ministry to inoculate children between the years 5 to 11 is a step in the right direction in fully relaxing the COVID-19 protocols in school. It is about building resilience in the education sector through a right mix of policies and strategies. This pandemic could be labelled as one in a century so there is dearth of literature and research in education on educational issues evolving post-pandemic. Most pertinent research and educational models could be adopted to overcome some of the educational challenges. Recent events such as Deans rugby competition, schools football tournaments and Scouts are good ways to reinvigorate the school events and bring back memories of prepandemic days in school system. Most certainly, it is essential to prioritise education because of the importance of how the whole education sector moves out of the crisis for the future.

For a developing country such as ours, this pandemic has

been like a hammer blow to the education system as it has greatly impeded

our ability to achieve the goals and aspirations set out in the national development plan

and the SDGs.

– Pranil Ram

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