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Education During COVID-19 Pandemic

Name:
Institution:
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Education During COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great health crisis which has affected many sectors
of human life especially the education sector. Many countries decided to close schools,
colleges and universities. This global closure of schools led to major interruption in students’
learning and social life, as well as a massive shock to parents’ productivity. This has caused a
significant impact on the education system (Rashid, & Yadav, 2020). The sudden closure of
schools as a means of social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus has shifted the
classroom physical learning to online learning system. Many students have been affected due
to limitations of affordability and accessibility of online platforms.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought so many challenges in the education system.
Therefore, it has been noted that there is a need to train more teachers in digital technology to
adapt the rapidly changing world of education. After the pandemic, use of eLearning and
other online platforms will be a core part of the education system (García, & Weiss, 2020). A
strong education system that will meet children expectations on their learning will be a key.
Students need to regain the lost ground in terms of learning and social developments, and
work towards achievement of their educational goals. However, since there are no direct
comparisons to past events, there is lack of valid references for assessing the likely impacts of
coronavirus pandemic on children.
In this paper, I will therefore discuss the impacts of coronavirus on the education system,
how it relates to our daily life, how it has affected our life as well as the discussion relate to
the course of study. I will also summarize research findings on the education aspects that
seem most relevant to the current pandemic. Most of these findings appear relevant because
they represent situations in which a large number of children are out of school, and using
unusual learning tools and methods that have been integrated during the past few months
since the global closure of schools (García, & Weiss, 2020). As many countries are trying to
rebuild themselves to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an opportunity to best
think on how best support the quality of education for all.
Concrete experience on COVID-19
COVID-19 infection originated in Wuhan China. Reports show that the first case was
reported in late December 2019 and quickly spread all over the world. It was the declared a
pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11th March 2020 (WHO, 2020). The outbreak
of the coronavirus disease had great impacts on the human life and affected many economies
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all over the world. There was great impact on the education system in both developed and
developing countries, that led to the closure of higher learning institutions, colleges and all
schools all over the world. There were government directions to follow social distancing that
could reduce the community transmissions, flattening the infection curve and hence reducing
the total fatalities from the disease.
When we started getting news about the coronavirus disease, most of us did not care much
because it seemed just like any other flu. Soon we started hearing of deaths from this virus
and therefore we got all scared. I imagined how life would be when the virus reached to our
country. All non-essential businesses were closed, and all public events cancelled. We could
have been more prepared considering the time we had since the first case was reported. As a
result, all learning institutions were closed, causing disruption to student’s learning
progressions. To ensure the continuity of education during this period, institutions had to look
for alternative learning methods, and therefore, opted for use of technology and offer online
classes and distance learning to cater for the time lost during the pandemic.
My responsibilities during this pandemic were to ensure personal health, safety and well-
being as well as that of all other people. This virus is very deadly, and therefore, we needed
to protect ourselves for the benefit of everyone by conforming to the necessary measures, in
order to avoid major losses. We had to practice hand hygiene by washing hand with soap and
running water for 20 seconds, especially after coughing, sneezing, being in a public place or
after visiting a public washroom. If water and soap were not available, we had to use an
alcohol-based sanitizer. Physical distancing and wearing of face masks became part and
parcel of our lives when communicating with other people. Lastly, quarantine and self-
isolation prevent the spread of the virus, by separating healthy people from someone who had
tested positive.
Reflective Observation
For most of us, it was an extremely impressive experience to find ourselves adjusting our
daily routines and take safety precautions to protect ourselves, families and neighbours.
During this pandemic period, businesses, governments, schools and cities have undergone
large transformations. Before the spread of the coronavirus disease, it was somehow difficult
to change a system. Many countries have been slow to respond to the pandemic despite the
data and advice from experts on what measures are needed. The crisis has exposed many
inequalities in the education system, resulting into many technological innovations.
The closure of schools led to adoption of online education and distance learning. However,
I acknowledged that this had negative effects on students’ learning through stress symptoms,
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lack of learning innovations, less time spent in learning and a change in the way students
interact. The adoption of remote learning result in children spending less time in learning and
this leads to learning loss. I realized that the time given to students is reduced thus leading to
lack of enough days to prepare for their tests which leads to low performances. These low
performances in schools lead to reduced educational attainment and increased class
repetitions. This pandemic has statistically affected students test score growth.
I noted that most of the students were quarantined at home with their parents, and
therefore, they might suffer acute stress disorders, anxiety, and grief. Such factors have a
significant effect to their learning, as it results to poor concentration, depression, and
insomnia which may result to increased number of school dropouts. Moreover, other factors
may lead to lack of learning motivation and these may include failure to use assessment
results obtained during remote learning. Students repeating the same class regardless of their
remote learning also affect the students’ motivation to continue with their studies. Although
this could be a fair decision, but students are more motivated if they know that their learning
will be assessed.
It is well understandable that the school environment helps students’ achievement through
peer effects. Interacting in classes with my classmates might increase positive externalities. I
found out that being in class together and teaching one another leads to improved grades.
Peers also helps students to like their subjects more and enjoy doing that subject as their peers
are helping in solving exercises. Students acquire additional social skills in classroom
activities that are more important in their future personal and professional life. I came to
believe that interacting with teachers and students improves student’s self-confidence and
self-esteem. Studying in class enables students to be able to work in groups in future.
However, I noticed that online learning offers socializing platforms, it’s not only in class-
based interaction but also communicating to one another on group projects.
I acknowledged that remote learning helps continuity of student’s learning during the
pandemic when the schools are closed. Many teachers and instructors are able to deliver
online teaching because they are familiar with the teaching platforms. This highlights the
importance of digital technologies and reliable internet connection at homes in supporting
education during the school closure. In addition to teachers’ contribution, parents are also
involved in the success of online education. They should ensure that their children are
focused in doing the tasks assigned to them for the purposes of assessments. Online learning
is more advantageous to independent learners because it helps them know what they want to
learn and the support they need. It also gives independent learners time to study at their own
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time of the day. Moreover, online learning might not be appropriate for the dependent
students because they might not be well organized and lack good time management skills that
allow them to enjoy online learning.
I learnt that it is good for the education system and all schools to have a backup system if
they can afford it. They should also have more teachers with good online learning and
teaching skills. I also discovered that the poor and the disadvantaged students suffered most
during the large learning gaps especially after the schools, holidays and weekends due to lack
of access to online learning resources such as internet connectivity. This backup system
would be of much help to these disadvantaged students. It should also be able to help students
inside and outside the school. This pandemic therefore, has helped so much in opening
peoples minds about the opportunities available for supporting the education system and child
development.
The online learning and other alternative learning methods should have been something
that all schools adopted long time ago even before the pandemic by making sure that all
students had access to technologies and internet connectivity, to ensure learning continuity
even out of school hours. Most schools do not have access to these digital platforms because
maybe they were not part of the priorities in their budget. However, the government should
ensure that they provide the schools with enough facilities, since learning in this twenty-first
century requires technological advancements and internet connectivity.
Looking into these new advancements in education, I realized that children’s well-being
and success depend on more than just schooling. Children need essential supports and
opportunities outside the school, from the communities and society at large. In order to learn
well, they need equal access to health care, clean water, food, good housing, and out of
school development opportunities among others. Considering the whole issue of child
development and education, there is a need to construct systems that meet the children needs,
both inside and outside the school, in order for them to have an opportunity to genuinely
succeed.
Over this pandemic period, there is an opportunity to reshape the education system.
Continuation of education through alternative learning ways must be a top priority now to
ensure that education interruption is limited as possible. Teachers, communication experts
and all those that provide education should be supported by either home school or online
learning and other innovative methods. By ensuring that students maintain access to learning
and acquiring knowledge and skills this alternative methods must be applied to decrease the
risks of children being exposed to children exploitation. Not only education but also other
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additional needs and support should be provided to students living in vulnerable

communities.
Abstract Conceptualization
According to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook, there was a predictable recession even
during the most optimistic scenarios. Even when the second wave of the pandemic is avoided
the economic percentage in 2020 is expected to fall by 6% while unemployment rate is
expected to rise from 5.4% to 9.2% (OECD, 2020). In case that the second wave of the
coronavirus pandemic would occur, leading to a global lockdown, the situation will be
worsened. The education sector will be impacted negatively since it depends on the tax
money, despite also being a key factor that determines the future tax income. Education
sector is one of the sectors that require government intervention in funding and regulating the
services provided.
The COVID-19 pandemic global spread led to closure of schools in response to the
lockdown measures to reduce its spread. It affected the continuity of learning in schools and
the delivery of course content, the safety of international students in their host countries, as
well as the students’ view on the value of their studies (Schleicher, 2020). Students were
faced with a dilemma on whether to return to their home countries or remain in their host
countries with limited access to employment and education opportunities. Experts agree that
despite the lockdown, to ensure education continuity, the use of technology and online
learning is applicable.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was still facing challenges in relation to
fulfilling the promises of education. More than 250 million children were out of school while
nearly 800 million adults were illiterate (De Giusti, 2020). The coronavirus pandemic has
caused a major disruption in the education system. By mid April 2020, 1.58 billion students
all over the world were affected, and this represented 94% of all students from primary to
tertiary education (De Giusti, 2020). This interruption in the education has ked to negative
impacts in most vulnerable and most disadvantaged students.
In addition to learning loss, the economic impact on households has widened the inequities
in education achievement. Should the decrease in economy push more people into severe
poverty, evidence shows that students from poor backgrounds will unlikely complete their
studies. According to UNESCO, it is estimated that an additional of 23.8 million students
may drop out of schools due to the economic impacts resulting from the pandemic (De Giusti,
2020). The number of students who might not return to their schools after closure is likely to
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increase. Female students are more vulnerable to gender-based violence, marriages and
pregnancies, and this will increase their chances of not going back to school after the closure.
According to survey conducted by OECD and Harvard University on education challenges
and approaches used to sustain education during the pandemic period, learning that took
place when schools were closed was only a small proportion of what would have been
learned in school (Schleicher, 2020). Learning from home has made it clear that there are
many advantages that the students gain when they are close to their teachers and peers
compared to when they are learning from home. Reopening schools will also have economic
benefits to families by going back to work.
To estimate the long-term economic impacts, Hanushek and Woessmann used historical
growth regression. Since learning loss would lead to skill loss, and people use their skills for
productivity, gross domestic product was estimated to be 1.5% lower on average,
representing a total economic loss of 15.3 trillion dollars (Hanushek, & Woessmann, 2020).
If schools would be slow in returning to their previous levels of performance, this growth
loses would be higher. Countries will therefore continue to face reduced economic well-
being, even when the school return to their previous performance levels.
As the world enters the COVID-19 recovery phase, it is critical to reflect on the role of
educational systems to the society. The global health crisis as a result of coronavirus disease
has brought into understanding the values that were taken for granted, renewing their
awareness in the society (Schleicher, 2020). This pandemic is a call to renew the commitment
to the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring that all the youths have an opportunity to
access education and succeed and develop skills, knowledge and values that will allow them
to contribute to the society’s future. During deep crises, real change take place. However, it is
through the society’s systematic responses to these education disruptions that will determine
how they will impact us whether positively or negatively.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of public schools as parents continue
to struggle with their children at home due to the closure of schools. As students struggle to
learn from home, parents have been able to recognize the efforts by teachers thus increasing
their recognition in terms of their skill as well as their contribution towards the student well-
being (Azorín, 2020). The pandemic has posed a challenge to the world to come up with
innovations and ideas on how education can be a stronger sector from this global crisis than
ever before. A very strong and inclusive education systems are critical to the short- and long-
term recovery of the society. There is a need to capitalize on education and ensure enough
support across the globe.
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Active Experimentation
A new approach would be integration of a powered-up school, which puts a strong public
school at the center of a community and all the most effective partnerships, including that
have emerged during the pandemic, to help learners grow and develop skills and competences
in and out of school (Azorín, 2020). For instance, such a school would include technology
that bring learning experiences in and outside the classroom. It should recognize and adapt to
the learning outside the classroom, assessing students’ skills and coming up with new
opportunities to meet students at their skill levels, resulting to students’ learning and
development using every possible path. This idea of powered-up school is aspirational but
impracticable. Schools at the center of a community ecosystem of support and learning is an
idea which should be put into practice in the current system. Some practices that have
emerged during the pandemic period should be sustained even when the pandemic is over.
This educational crisis can be a generational catastrophe and there is a need to prevent this
from happening. It should be a top priority for leaders and the entire education community, to
protect the right of the learners, as well as drive economic progress, lasting peace and
sustainable development (Ferdig et al., 2020). In this regards, innovators and decision makers
need to come up with ways that will ensure the above are met. One of the most significance
steps to take include suppressing transmission of the virus to thoroughly plan for the
reopening of schools, protecting the education financing which has a significant impact to the
economies and public finances, strengthening the education system for equitable and
sustainable development, and reimagining education and accelerating positive teaching and
learning changes.
A different idea would be putting the public schools at the center of education systems,
since they have a role in equalizing opportunities within the society. They strengthen social
togetherness and reduce inequalities. Public schools all over the world bring together
individuals from different backgrounds and needs, and this provides them with an
opportunity to grow up with common knowledge and values that can bring unity within the
communities (Ferdig et al., 2020). The private schools also have concerns in terms of
inequality and effectiveness. Whether public or private, a school should be able to address
social needs that have a significant impact to the community and the entire globe.
Another great idea would be deployment of education technology in a way that meets
teaching and learning needs of both the students and the teachers. However, technology has a
risk of becoming a costly distraction. Leveraging technology to help the continuity of
education should be the center of discussion in all schools all over the world. For many
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families, it is not easy to access the educational contents due to lack of technology and
internet access (Ferdig et al., 2020). The governments have the role to ensure all the schools
are equipped with the relevant technological facilities. The teachers need to be supported and
involved in these innovations, since they are part and parcel of all the decision that will be
made concerning the new learning cultures.
Moreover, there is a need to emphasize the importance of the teaching and learning
process. To develop the powered-up schools, it will be of great help to come up with
strategies that the communities are deploying during this pandemic (Azorín, 2020). Decision
makers should therefore provide evidences on what should work to improve the learning, as
well as how to school change happens toward the addressing of teaching and learning
processes. How teachers engage with the students and learning materials is very important for
the learning process.
COVID-19 came as an opportunity to rethink education and rethinking should not be
about improving schools but also on how and where of learning. The school closure has
prompted innovative institutional self- examination the chances of long-term changes is
highly dependent on how education matters is handled during this pandemic crisis. If
COVID-19 is treated as a short -term crisis then the changes done during the pandemic in
education might not be permanent but temporally. The COVID -19 lessons opened up our
minds to imagine learning systems as a system where students of all ages can thrive to bring
about the desired future. After the crisis stronger concern and a good curriculum would bring
out a stronger focus on knowledge given in schools and ways which the knowledge might
bring a substantial change in the education system.
The pandemic revealed about the weakness in classroom-based schooling and computer
learning which is both natural and caused by humans. Textbooks and guidance for those who
support home-based education should be provided for the continuity of leaning in and outside
of the school because they are the elements for preparing better for any other crisis. The
pandemic has shown how communities can come together and educate children despite their
background through the use of digital platforms to overcome the division in learning. It has
also ensured that both parents, students and teachers are the main elements of institutional
response.
Schools of high level should take this opportunity of the online learning which works
better in digital platforms to better their technology understanding because technology will
continue to play a key role in education system now and in the future. The pandemic has also
changed the role of educators for the have to change in how and what to teach the students to
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prepare them on new ways of communicating to them when away from their classrooms and
lecture theatres. It has also helped us define how learning should be for our coming gene
rations in future. The pandemic has also helped students know how to work without much
supervision through online learning. The pandemic has also improved important skills that
employers in future will be looking at as creativity and being able to communicate and work
across the world. It has also resulted to all learning systems across the world being able to
utilize the available technological devices to create content for online learning for students in
all courses.
What I have learned and experienced in this class went beyond what I have ever expected.
Attending the lectures awakened my interest in certain topics. However, having the
opportunity to then go out and find experiences related to these topics was a wonderful way
to get involved, as well as enhance what I had learned in the classroom. I plan to continue
with my social activism, as well as my research in topics of interest. The more the
information is out there, the more people are exposed to the realities on the real-life events
taking place in today’s world. There is not much that I would change to improve my service-
learning experience. Perhaps I could have taken more time to investigate schools that need
immediate technological advancements and internet connectivity. However, I consider my
whole experience to be more than satisfactory, which is why I am unable to think of one
situation that stands out. I hope my findings will open the leaders’ minds, as well as that of
teachers to come up with systematic changes that will have a significant effect in the
education sector.
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References

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Education Policy: Lessons from Pre-Pandemic Research to Inform Relief, Recovery, and
Rebuilding. Economic Policy Institute. September, 10, 2020.

WHO. (2020, March 11). WHO

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