DNA Exclusive: As schools reopen, things are not same as before, here is what changed

New Delhi: Schools reopened for children of different classes in nine states of the country. In Delhi and Rajasthan, children from classes 9 to 12 can now go to school. In Uttar Pradesh, even children from classes 1 to 5 have started going to school from today. However, when these children reached school this morning, it was nothing like before.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Wednesday (September 1) discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way education is imparted. Even as the schools are reopening, things do not seem to be the same as before.

When the students reached their schools today, they realized the rules have changed, the relationships have changed, the method of studying in the class has changed. All these changes were brought about by the pandemic which forced them out of schools for so long.

Due to the threat of COVID infection, there are no longer partners to share the desk with as social distancing has to be followed. Children can no longer share food with or books or notes with each other. Now children do not get scolded if they forget to bring the homework copy. Now they are scolded if they forgot to wear masks.

Half of the children study in the classes while the other half attend it digitally from their homes.

In the last one and a half years, ever since the coronavirus came into our lives, the way of teaching in schools has also changed.

Earlier children used to learn "social Interaction" in schools. Like studying together, eating together while playing, jumping or sharing things with each other. Now children study online and often do not even know the name of their fellow classmates.

Earlier, students were punished for bringing mobile phones to schools. But it is not so anymore. Mobile devices have become an integral part of their education and parents get expensive smartphones for their children.

The relationship between a teacher and a student has also changed. Recently, many online education apps have been developed in which children do not know which teacher will take their class. The teachers also do not know the children taking their class.

Education has become a commercial activity and educational showrooms have opened instead of schools, where one can take lessons from different teachers and study use apps according to their budget.

Now education has become virtual and students and teachers have also become virtual. It can be called the end of an era. From children studying using chalk and slate to blackboards to mobile screens now, the paradigm shift is clear.