Right now, some students in Asia are going back to school but the future of education is altered.
As a previous member of the GirlUp community, an organization that helps girls all over the globe get opportunities, education in other countries is something I have always had a passion for. It’s a right that kids around the world deserve access to. However, amid coronavirus concerns, school systems have had to adapt and change their methods to reach students, and the plans for the future seem tentative.
Let’s take a look at other countries and how they’re faring with what the future has in store. This definitely helps evaluate how fortunate some of us are to receive an education come fall, especially when in the United States there’s still a large amount of citizens who don’t have access to the Internet. It’s furthermore important to stay in the know with the reality of the education system for different places around the world. If we love to visit, shouldn’t we know more?
The impact has been different everywhere and many countries have not been prepared to respond to a pandemic. The national closing of schools has been the most common way of dealing with the issue. But that leaves the question of where education globally is set to end up. Will schooling move entirely online, as it has previously in China, Italy, etc.? Or, in cases like Lebanon, according to the World Bank, will children go home with work and learn the material there?
In countries like India, their academic year has been pushed back. Where it normally began in July or August, it now is aiming for August or September, with no tuition increases and a big emphasis on online resources. India also faces economic disparity. According to the National Sample Service Office (NSSO), only 23.8% of households in India have access to the Internet, which factors in as a huge problem during a time where we must rely on the Internet for e-learning.
Latin America is seeing an increase in coronavirus cases which will influence the future of education. One of the biggest discussions is around the plan to protect teachers to make sure they are ready for when schools eventually open. The government in many places is trying to move around the typical school calendar for a different structure that might still accommodate students.
Right now, some students in Asia are going back to school. In South Korea, high schoolers returned after months away, but the future of the world is altered. They have to remain distanced from one another and keep their masks on. Their lunchrooms have plastic barriers to separate them. And any COVID-19 case in the school would cause for immediate closure once more.
Other places like New Zealand have allowed students back, but not without strict safety precautions. Being a student during a pandemic is stressful and ever changing, especially in countries where many people have limited Internet access. The future looks tentative for all students to return to schools, and there is a new way of operating that we all must adjust to in order to remain safe from something that still threatens us all, no matter where we are.
