Lost Generation - The COVID Factor

An year ago, the world witnessed one of the most contagious infections due to a new strain of the SARS-Coronavirus, spreading abruptly from country to country to result into a huge worldwide pandemic. Countries imposed complete lockdowns and all sectors were affected in a hundred different ways. It also arrived during a time when a new academic session was just beginning for the students. With the schools shut down, other alternatives were needed to resume education. Schools switched to online education with live classes. With this, everyone believed that the problem of education during the pandemic was solved. But was it really the case?

India is a highly populated country with a concerning number of families below the poverty line. Not everyone can afford gadgets and internet to access these classes. Even for people with these resources, there are problems. The network issues every now and then cause great difficulty for the students with a lot of topics going missed. Since all the classes, assignments, tests, doubts, etc. can be accessed on the phone only, students are bound to sit in front of the screen for HOURS affecting their health. Also, with easy access to phones all the time, there is more scope for distractions. Not to mention, the connection a student feels when a teacher is explaining a topic to him/her in person, can never be fulfilled by online classes. Without any physical activity or friendly interactions, children are becoming lazy, dull, stressed and are having a hard time focusing. Adding to this, students in higher classes are facing a lot of pressure to crack their respective competitive exams when they are already having such a hard time learning. During these times, they need mental support from parents and teachers, but in most of the cases, they are asked the reason why they are under-performing when other students can study and score in these conditions. Such circumstances lead to harmful thoughts like a growing feeling of not being good enough. With nothing but negative energy already around them, they are begging to be understood. A piercing fear of a crucial year going to waste is HAUNTING them. 

In such conditions, one wonders if these students will ever be able to fill that void and that guilt of “Maybe I could've done better”. Who will be responsible if these kids lose their dream carrier option in the future for the sake of grades? How will they live with this burden all their life?