During second wave of Covid-19, the reality of education

The social and economic structure of our country is very wide.  Natural resources do not have the same meaning for the underprivileged as for the underprivileged.  That is why natural calamities are proving to be deadly to the underprivileged nowadays.  In this context, if we study the educational structure, we find many discrepancies.  It is the crumbling of our educational structure that today education is confined to a special category.  The difference between the figures and the facts presented is clear.  Due to the education being implemented at present, a section is becoming uneducated.  The education that has been made available in Corona’s current turmoil will actually push those who are stuck in the wheel of the economy further behind.
Students will be admitted to the next class without taking any school examination.  By entering the next class, we are already facing very bitter realities.  Under the Free and Compulsory Education Act, under the scheme of not failing any child up to class VIII, there have been children in class IX who have been deprived of even basic alphabets in language.  Even today, when we send such children to study in the next classes, it will not be difficult to decide that the future of these students will be generally bleak.  The entire last academic year (2020-21) the students did not study.  The education that we are patting on the back with the illusion of being an online education is in fact nothing.  In particular, more than 70 per cent of children in government schools have to be looked after.  These children are deprived of the facilities that serve as tools in online education.  Mobile phones, internet, Doordarshan etc. are far away from these students.  Not to mention the fact that these days there is no home power supply all day long.  Parents who are in the throes of a bad economy are just waiting for their children to get a day off so that they can help them with their work.  In such a situation, online education becomes insignificant.  Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.  It is all about the child’s development.  The Punjab Education Department is campaigning vigorously these days that the number of students in government schools is increasing exponentially.  No schools are set up, no fees are charged, and the number of students cannot be ascertained.  District Education Officers and School Heads present the figures in the meetings of the department.  Those who show low numbers are punished on the spot.  To display the numbers on the e-portal, teachers and school principals can easily show the students enrolled in each other’s schools.  Here the saying ‘Hing lage na aatkari rang chokha aave’ can easily come true.  There is no doubt that preaching can show its color but the thing to remember is that this color is temporary.  Only quality is effective for lasting color.  There was a time when there were no vacancies in the education department.  Even the post of teacher on maternity leave was filled temporarily.  But then the system was completely shut down.  The current situation is that the principal of a school works in one school for the first three days of the week and goes to another school in another district for the last three days.  The same is true of clerks working in schools.  Vacancies in school rankings are having dire consequences.  On the one hand, there is talk of increasing the number of students in schools, while on the other hand, the already sanctioned posts in schools are being terminated.  To make matters worse, even the District Education Officer has to work against two or three posts instead of one.  Among middle schools, PTI  One post has been given in the entire block of the primary.  Let’s see how one teacher can raise the standard of sports in the entire block!  Under such circumstances (even if the magic game of statistics is accepted) how can the increased number of students be maintained?  A lot of money is being spent to make schools smart schools.  Physical needs are also being met in schools.  Similarly, scientific resources are being made accessible to schools.  There is little to commend this work.  But the thing to remember is that the first need of the students in the school is the presence of teachers.  If the school has full number of teachers and the teachers have only chalk board then this can create an educational atmosphere in the schools.  But if the schools have all the other resources but there is a shortage of teachers, then the students will remain without education.
We must never forget that education is the only way to overcome all the difficulties in life.  There is no harm in imparting education online but only with the co-ordination of teacher and student can proper education be achieved.  Attendance of teachers and students in schools should be ensured.  If an outbreak like Corona is looming around us, then our priority is to create an educational environment in schools that protects teachers and students from this scourge.  The correct enrollment of students is to be ascertained from the regular visits of the schools.  The achievement of the students is to be calculated only when they achieve something in the common competition.