The COVID-19 global pandemic can be viewed as the world’s largest educational crisis we have faced. Nobody knew that it would spread and attack the entire system which runs the world to a great extent. All educational institutions including both state and non-state institutions were paralysed unexpectedly due to Covid. During this prevailing crucial situation, the authorized officials attempted to reopen schools and other educational institutions in the county on some occasions.
The closure of educational institutes directly impacted not only on students but also on teachers, families, and the government. It has interrupted the whole educational setup of the country. Students have been forced to be homebound. They have lost their playful childhoods and dutiful student lives and they have missed the memorable part of their own lives. In the beginning, teachers and lecturers have undergone confusion and stress as a result of this pandemic. People in rural areas have made complaints regarding their children’s education as well as the trying situation. The government also has faced some sort of challenges to maintain the standard quality of higher education. Eventually, as a remedy to the prevailing issue, authorities introduced a distance learning system to society.
Online education or distance education is a method that provides a continuous learning opportunity without spreading COVID-19. Although it is efficient and effective, there can be seen minor weaknesses in the system. By and large, it would affect the middle and low-income families. Because it is not available at an affordable price for them. They do not prepare themselves for distance learning and homeschooling.
Most students have smartphones. However, on the other hand, smartphones can harm students’ physical and mental health badly. However, they do not have enough facilities to access laptops and desktops with a video camera. This has also caused some problems in society.
However, students are encouraged to pursue online education. but most students are not satisfied with the affordability and stability of internet access. In a pessimistic view, COVID-19 has disrupted the education system and has created a lot of issues regarding education. But in an optimistic view, it has become a huge revolution in Sri Lankan education.
Our students used to do all the things manually and were most familiar with tangible resources like textbooks, notes, black or whiteboards. Under these circumstances, most of them are getting confused with this new friendship with technology. But it allows all children to get a new experience with the technology. It is also a marvelous opportunity to understand the status of teaching, practicing to access the internet and technological devices, understanding-how to conduct classes in a virtual environment, recognizing various online platforms or channels, sending large volumes of materials as PDFs through WhatsApp, Viber and conducting classes as well as other necessities.
Although shifting from physical classes to online classes will be a challenge. Our offline education provides printed educational materials, and workbooks, it could not give a professional experience to either students or teachers. Students have become free from the weight of their school bags and have got a chance to learn independently.
Even though distance learning is not available for the poorest students, it is creating more effective methods of teaching and learning. It is better to provide solutions because the problem is with the facilities, not the system.