What will be Schools like in Post Covid World?

Almost all businesses in India have reopened in the last few months except schools and universities. In the Government circles, the debate has commenced on the new normal as and when the government decides to open up. Will it be the same as it was before Covid struck? Will the online mode of teaching continue?  We do not know the answers to these questions and only time will tell. In the meanwhile, let me enumerate the pros and cons of the present online teaching as observed in the recent past viz:

PROs

1. As a parent, I don't have to hustle every morning to reach the school bus stop/van. Neither does the mother or the kid. The perennial morning stress seems an unpleasant distant memory. I dread it shall return soon.

2. In a chaotic city of close to 30 million and more than 10 million motor vehicles, Delhi is infamously unique for its very poor air quality and high decibels of noise pollution. There are lacs of kids and adults who commute daily to their respective schools and colleges in these conditions. It is anybody's guess what is the extent of damage inflicted on their health over a protracted period of time. My take is we are bartering our kids' health with education and that too(education) is far from world-class while being prohibitively expensive at the same time. An interesting mix of innovative online curriculum and onsite classes can absolve our young ones from the trauma of commuting to study boring and uninspiring drudgery. Their life span can go up.

3.It is not a secret that schools and private universities are money-spinner. The so-called educationists are all billionaires who wield tremendous clout with the governments. Why? Big money in their wallets can pull all the strings with the right people who matter. And where does it come from? Our pockets! The current cost of education since covid broke out has dropped by almost 50% which is huge. This money can be saved to invest in financial assets for our child's future.

And now the

CONS

1.The kids' learning curve has lengthened as the online classes are long and the old curriculum is archaic to the new normal.  Concentration spans of the kids have dropped steeply in the absence of class teachers. My child experiences the same and it has also been corroborated by detailed and in-depth surveys In Indian cities. So obviously this slack cannot be allowed to continue.

2. Lack of peer-to-peer interaction will only increase zombyism in our young generation. In any case, they are hooked onto their gizmos and rarely venture out of their homes to play. The soccer moms generation has only exacerbated the decline. This unfortunately is the current scenario which is a huge nay.

3.Very many kids and adults have become unfit and added extra pounds to them with a sedentary lifestyle. Onsite regular schools induced walking as a matter of routine which has ended.

4. A lot of working couples in nuclear families are facing a dilemma. Their incomes have dropped on one hand and they want to return to work as and when the opportunity arrives. But on the other hand mothers of young kids can ill afford to leave their kids behind. They are anxiously waiting for regular schools to open up.

Do you see any opportunity in this scenario to make a change? To create something that can add value to the system which can be a good synthesis of the thesis and antithesis?

I look forward to your feedback.

As always, many thanks for reading me

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