Dr John Mohan Razu
Coronavirus has given humanity a mighty shock. It has changed the political, economic and other templates. Technologically advanced societies live under fear and anxiety. Knowledge-based world is struggling to produce a vaccine. COVID-19 has dumbfounded everyone and taken aback those in power and authority wrong-footed. This is the worst human crisis ever faced and witnessed in recent history of humanity where millions of people died and infected.
The current lockdown that stretches for months is definitely the longest one that the world has ever recorded in modern history of the world. No one knows when this would end. One of the unique characteristics of COVID-19 is the ways with which it permeates in all aspects of human activity. We are in crisis that has two sides—positives and negatives. The crisis prompts many to view understand approach and analyze COVID-19 from different perspectives and standpoints.
Along with others aspects, COVID-19 has shut the educational institutions in India since March 2020. It is difficult to predict when the educational institutions would re-open. Education has been globalized, privatized and marketized catering to the privileged classes and dominant castes. Those who could not afford have been pushed outside the market ambit. Further it opened employment and job opportunities to those with professional qualifications and innovative skills.
Globalization has never been leveler of education, but acted as a leverager of educational system wherein a section of students went to different countries for educational purposes. Similarly those who had access with the mission agencies, churches and god fathers especially in the western world pursued their theological education. Surprisingly COVID-19 acted as a leverger by bringing the formal education to a grinding halt—globalization of education.
Coronovirus is such an infectious disease that demands social distancing (2 meters), face masking, frequent washing of hands with disinfectants and many such restrictions while on travel in bus, train and flight disrupted everything and thus halted those who want to go overseas at least for the present. Changing times requires new ways of looking forward. COVID-19 has pushed educational institutions and research institutions to go for on-line education.
Having no other option educational institutions with good financial backing is moving towards on-line learning and going for smart class rooms. Those who have smart phones could get to the proximate levels of on-line learning, while others are pushed aside and in the process be phased out. COVID-19 has leveraged on-line learning and education to the advantage of the rich and the powerful. On-line education enables those who are connected; what about those not-connected.
Having no other option or choice, theological education in India should also obviously go for on-line education. Coronavirus has taken everyone by surprise those who govern ATA and Senate of Serampore, the two dominant protestant streams in theological education to go for on-line teaching and learning. Theological education in India by and large is numerically dominated by those who belong to socially ostracized and economically weaker communities.
Theological colleges that are accredited to both the streams happen to be residential and so their fee structure is exorbitant. Resorting to on-line theological education is going to open up new opportunities as well as pose number of challenges. Only the time will tell us of its effects. On-line teaching is totally different from the class room teaching wherein students are compelled to be present physically whether they like the lectures or not and attendance is part of requirement.
Curricula and all requisites mentioned in the prospectus will have to be followed and completed within the designated duration and the grades be awarded (internal and external). Pedagogical processes are left to the discretion of the pedagogues and hardly do we come across any guidelines attached. Those teaching in theological colleges by and large do not go for any teachers’ training and so devoid of tools and techniques that concerns teaching. Teaching involves a number of skills that should all the time be nurtured and enhanced.
However, through trial and error there are some who learn the hard way and become good pedagogues, but many somehow manage to survive. Nonetheless, the students are better evaluators to grade the teachers—organic or mediocre. Conventional theological education (optic and class room-centric) is bound to shift due to COVID-19. In such settings, theological institutions are forced to embrace on-line education because we live in new normal.
COVID-19 as a leverager elevated theological education to another level that warrants creativity, teaching tools, and modules, audio-visuals and shorter presentations, interactions and periodic sessions. Lengthy lectures and monotonous presentations would certainly make the students to shut the link and leave. In on-line learning there’s no compulsion to sit and listen to. There’s absolute freedom to leave the site. Unless and until the lectures and presentations are interesting and absorbing in terms of content, application and delivery, attendance of students during on-line sessions shall never be taken for granted. Power equations have been neutralized.
Theological institutions are now in another mode. COVID-19 has undoubtedly leveraged education to another level. It acted like a tool that has taken the millennial by surprise without any clue where they are heading and in which direction. Everything is in dark. Those who have the means to cope to the situation would avail the opportunity that on-line education provides. It is again the survival of fittest. Economic and educational considerations always go hand in hand.
Economy always lays its hope and looks forward to skilled and super-skilled considered as professionals and assets to their organization. But, economy and education are now in limbo and thus present bleak picture, wherein half of the millennial likely to lose their jobs. The expectations of the job market would be high and competitive and so only those with professionalism and innovative skills would be absorbed. The same scenario applies to on-line theological education as well. In addition, COVID-19 has leveraged religion to on-line mode.
In tune to the changing scenario, the main-line, para-churches and house churches have gone on-line. They are placed in different settings and live in watershed moment. Likewise, students pursuing theological education are sponsored and absorbed by the respective churches, mission agencies and others-related organizations. Church services and theological education have gone on-line and thus apparently compliments each other. COVID-19 has leveraged ecclesial practices and theological education on-line, but has COVID-19 acted as a leveler between clergy and laity, pedagogues and learners, which remains to be seen in the days and years to come.
COVID-19 has escalated joblessness to the tune of some millions. Expectations keep rising and competition grows in alarming ways in a world of on-line. On-line theological education does promote intense competition, innovative pedagogy and critical scholarship. However, on-line theological education ought to be carefully worked out, monitored and executed. On-line education shall never be a leveler on its own, rather a bulldozer and a divider, if left alone. However, by all means in a given scenario should strive to bring parity.
