Many children are physically unable to attend schools. Teaching and learning are managed remotely on digital platforms. Online learning seems to continue into post pandemic. How this shift has been affecting children worldwide?
Many online learning platforms have started offering free access to their services. BYJU’S, world’s most highly valued “edtech”, is offering free classes on its platform. Lark, a Singapore-based collaboration suite, is providing teachers and students with unlimited video conferencing up to 350 participants, auto-translation capabilities, real-time co-editing of project work and smart calendar scheduling.
DingTalk, Alibaba’s distance learning arm, has set-up more than 100,000 new cloud servers for rapid expansion. Zhejiang University managed to get more than 5,000 courses online using “DingTalk ZJU”. The Imperial College London has started offering a course on the science of coronavirus, which is now the most enrolled class launched in 2020 on Coursera. A new hybrid model of education has emerged. Would this eventually become an integral part of school education?
Could children without reliable internet connections or access to technology participate in digital learning?
Some 826 million students (50%) have kept out of classrooms and they do not have access to a computer at home. 706 million students lack internet access and 56 million live in no-mobile network areas. A recent study of the UNESCO Institute of Statistics and Teachers Task Force has revealed the shocking numbers.
Students in some countries have to walk far up the mountains or climb trees or reach into woods for internet signals. Geographical and topographical conditions are barriers for some children whereas lack of infrastructure impedes others.
To narrow this gap, some argue 5G should be brought forward in which a globally connected virtual classroom opens up for every student to learn regardless of language, comprehension style or geography. However, the time it will take to reach poorer countries calls into question and by which time the digital divide between under-connected and hyper digitalised countries will have widened with educational inequalities.
Children having difficulties with remote learning due to weak bandwidth in the pandemic need to be reached by other technologies. An alternative learning model needs to be devised to reach them. Could Radio and television play a role in alternative learning?
Sierra Leone is innovatively using radio to educate children in remote areas. They used the same approach previously during the 2014 Ebola epidemic for remote learning. Ghana, Madagascar and Côte d’Ivoire have started TV and radio based remote learning program for children. UN-sponsored radio network in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), launched Okapi Ecole (Okapi School) for primary, secondary, and vocational school students.
Bangladesh television has started broadcasting “My School at My Home” for students for grades six to ten daily. While Bhutan e-Learning programme began on March 27, 2020 has allowed students to access lessons through educational television as well as on YouTube.
Argentina television broadcasts educational programs on both public and private channels for students who cannot access internet. These programmes are further encouraged with notebooks packed with learning resources. They are delivered to students parallelly.
To support remote learning during the pandemic, Pakistan Ministry of Education has two television programs called TeleSchool for all students across Pakistan, and the provincial initiative Taleem Ghar for students of Punjab.
BBC has launched a national curriculum-based television programmes through the BBC Bitesize on TV, BBC iPlayer and online to help children in the UK.
Sri Lankan media report continually on children climbing trees and mountains for internet signals. They seem to visit and interview children to broadcast their struggle for online learning. Ironically, they have not thought how televisions and radio could proactively help bridge the digital divide like other countries.
AfterAcess report 2019 confirms, 13.5 million use mobile phones out of about 21.4 million population in Sri Lanka, which is about 63%. Live musical programs run on television with live communication with people. Why not a live educational program with children in the pandemic?
The use of radio and television as remote learning alternatives is a powerful way to bridge the digital divide in the education sector and reach the most marginalised learners. Ensuring inclusive education which includes access to remote learning, is one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all UN member states. Education is a right of every child and we should not let digitalization rule out children in developing countries.
Let us not curse the darkness without lighting the candle we have.
References and further reading
Sri Lanka has been telecasting education programs using some popular teachers. However, current situation is different, and every teacher is trying to fulfil their responsibilities, to cover the allocated syllabus. I noticed both teachers and students are very busy with this process and the studying time also extended from 6.00 – 18.00 or sometimes up to 20.00. There are many positive and negative angles if we need to talk.