Has online education increased the learning gap ?

According to a survey, the learning gap between children from wealthy families and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds has grown. It is now widely acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant learning loss among students as a result of disruptions in the educational system. However, learning gaps do not even exist among social groups. According to parents who participated in a survey by the National Coalition on the Education Emergency between October 2021 and January 2022, the learning gap between children from wealthy families and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds has grown.The report, Cries of Anguish, attributed the disparity to a number of factors, including unequal access to online courses, unequal parental guidance skills, and the impact of private tuition. The majority of the 512 households it surveyed were from underprivileged social classes; only 24% of Telangana’s parents and 4% of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka’s parents worked in the formal economy, respectively. The study came to the conclusion that those who can rely on parental supervision can benefit the most from technology-driven education—online learning.Only 9% of parents from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families reported being satisfied with their children’s level of learning, compared to just 50% of parents from higher socioeconomic status (SES). The majority of respondents claimed that online learning has negatively impacted their children’s reading and writing skills.Schools were compelled by the pandemic to quickly switch to online instruction. Since then, a number of studies have expressed concern about how difficult it is for kids from low socioeconomic backgrounds to access education. There are additional, related difficulties. According to a Unicef report, children who spend a lot of time alone at home miss out on developing the social skills that come from interacting with peers.The central government, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has enthusiastically endorsed online learning despite these drawbacks. The National Education Policy, 2020 has suggested using platforms like Swayam and Diksha and gives digital learning priority. Evaluation of the extent to which digital education worsens already-existing inequalities is urgently required. Remedial programmes must now be put in place as schools across the nation reopen to help students get back on track. Families who have taken their children out of school must receive incentives, which could result in a rise in the number of school dropouts. Future generations will be affected by learning loss if targeted measures are not taken to close the gap.

By Subhechcha Ganguly