The Future of Education – Online or Offline?

The year 2020 had us locked in our homes. We were unable to move out and complete our daily outdoor chores. Dining out or going to the malls wasn’t a necessity, hence, we surely had lesser difficulties on that front.

The good part? We could prepare all the delicacies at home, thus having a much healthier diet and having the luxury of spending quality time with our families. In the following year to 2020, a lot of things started getting back to normal, but the chances of re-opening schools still looked meagre. So, what happened with the students? Could they study only at home without the guidance of a teacher or the support of a friend? That’s where the concept of online schooling came in.

Soon enough, the entire world was hooked to the ‘Zoom Academy’. With the deadly virus spreading like wildfire, there was almost no hope for physical schooling. In such a scenario, online teaching became the light at the end of the tunnel. A lot of educational institutions took the initiative to not break the communication between teachers and students.

Due to COVID-19, the role of technology in our lives got a lot bigger! And this time, it was not just the urban areas getting equipped with technology but also the rural ones. It looked like all the problems had come to an end with the introduction of online education. However, in my view, the reality was far from it. Online education has lots of benefits, but the sheer capital investment is not easily affordable for some of the social strata of our society. There are a lot of steps to take before a person can start their education online such as buying a laptop or computer (or a smartphone) and a strong Wi-Fi connection. These are the monetary fallouts of online education.

Apart from the above, there are various other aspects too. Let us take an example here: Suppose there’s a student who has a laptop, a good Wi-Fi connection and a suitable corner in his/her  house for online schooling. However, after a few days, the student realises  that the work during school hours can be done later as well because the material is easily available on the laptop. This way, the learner finds it easier to procrastinate than to complete the work on time.

Similarly, other disadvantages include little or almost no face-to-face interaction with teachers and peers. Online education oftentimes becomes a monologue and not a two-way discussion. Since building relationships with teachers and classmates requires more effort, online classes may create a sense of isolation in students. Studying alone with just a laptop screen in front can be quite redundant. There’s no possibility of sharing anything  with a friend in between. Moreover, it lacks the feeling of being a part of a group with others – some different from us and some like us. 

Many students also face is the inability to focus on the screen for longer periods. Along with online learning, there’s also a greater chance for students to get distracted due to games and social media. Finally, it leads to an increase in screen time of children too.

Now, let us look at some advantages too. Thanks to online education, students are getting exposure to learning outside the school textbook. They can now acquire information digitally e-with the help of videos, animations, graphics, and what not! E-learning makes concepts clearer and easier to understand. Some have even developed further interest in studying than they had earlier. Another advantage is students and teachers now are not bound by distance.  Any class or tuition does not depend on a particular time schedule since there is no travel involved. With the travel time I saved, there can be more study time.

The continued pandemic had people exhausted due to the strict norms which led to a majority taking necessary measures. Thankfully now, we are in much better times and have the ease of stepping outside our homes.

Overall, I feel that the very meaning of education has changed dramatically during the health crisis. Thus, we should have a mix of both online and offline education. Students must have exposure to a traditional classroom as well as rely on the benefits of online education.