Online education will be increasingly normative in the post-pandemic world, says educationist

As schools close again across India due to rising coronavirus cases, Rajesh Bhatia founder of TreeHouse, a pioneering chain of online pre-schools believes technology will continue to bridge learning gaps

Amid rising COVID-19 cases and the Omicron surge, several states including Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana have announced the closure of schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. Bhatia believes, the online model of education will persist under these circumstances. He says,  "Just as children were getting used to the idea of returning to brick-and-mortar schools for good, Omicron has emerged as the latest variant of concern. Both educators and parents are wondering about the next step and I feel, online education will become increasingly normative in the post-pandemic world. Technology will continue to bridge learning gaps in the time to come. "

Despite sanitation and pandemic protocols in place, parents will be unwilling to send their kids to school any time soon, thinks Bhatia and adds, "There is no doubt that children need peer interaction and an organic connection with educators along with physical movement and guided group activities but right now, the safety of children is of paramount importance and many schools are trying their best to make their modules as interactive, engaging and stimulating as possible. Online education is now evolving into an immersive experience that in a way personalises education more than ever before."

There is no doubt he says that the pandemic has upended conventional education models and forced educators to think outside the box, digitise modes of instruction and adapt to the challenges posed by what can only be described as an unprecedented time in history. Hybrid and online education models have replaced physical classrooms and chalk and talk modules and says Rajesh, "We can look at this time as an opportunity to innovate and expand the circle of education to include even those who earlier had no access to good schooling. Digital divide for sure is an issue but it can be addressed and as an educator who dreams of democratised education modules, I hope to see a world where schooling will be available to every child at the click of a button."