Prof Buno Liegise
Department of Education: NU
Introduction
As a reasonably high-literacy rate society, it was expected that we, as a people, would respond in a more efficient and organised manner to the viral crisis. But the inverse happened. As reported in newspapers and social media in the country, there were many incidents where the public did not cooperate well with the call of a lockdown; use of excessive force and abuse towards civilians and especially volunteers, doctors, and health workers who were sincerely working to get the situation under control – risking their lives in the process; attacks on ambulances carrying the dead; not sparing even doctors who died treating COVID-19 patients.
Sadly, this state of emergency showed a reaction where the innocent and driven were treated with contempt, and even denied dignified burials. The downside in human behaviour did not, however, end there. It has been a horrifying forty + days for some people at home – a spike in the rate of domestic violence caused by alcohol and substance abuse, women and children being the main victims as usual. These victims of abuse will have their terrible experiences etched in their psyche forever. We all would have desired a better outcome, but in what ways could the society have behaved in a more responsible and humane way? We ask this question in spite of the existence of many heart-warming stories that also presented themselves in the narrative, as we could all have been better and done better for ourselves and others all the same. And one question arises in the mind- could we have avoided and lessened the rise of the darker side of human nature if we were better educated? There are definitely huge possibilities in it.
In Nagaland especially, most certainly, it would never have crossed anyone's mind or imaginations that such a scenario of a 'lockdown' would have occurred in the way it did - so total, swift and without any warning! One major aspect was the closure of educational institutions where the pre-primary and primary, secondary to higher education came all too suddenly and forcefully on the 17th March 2020; before anyone could fully figure out the scale and seriousness of the pandemic caused by the Novel Coronavirus. All activities in educational institutions came to a grinding halt, like many other institutions. All stakeholders including teachers, administrative staff, and students along with their parents were caught unawares, and sadly, were grossly unprepared for such a situation never faced before at this scale.
Everyone had to re-socialize so to speak - parents had to become teachers, children had to do domestic chores, teachers had to provide study materials online and /or conduct online classes and step into the shoes of counsellors. Frontline workers like doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers had to re-orient their skill set and knowledge, as well as rework their schedules to confront this unseen enemy they had never encountered before; administrators, bureaucrats, and politicians alike were all at the point of befuddlement on how to tackle the problem of smoothening a new social order; religious leaders like pastors, deacons, and evangelists searched for the most appropriate stories and verses in the Bible to boost the morale of their flock so that they might hold on to their faith and respond to the turmoil with courage.
But a pertinent question still stood – has Education helped prepare people to face challenges and threatening situations in life? In all of this, should our system of education take some blame? For one, has the system of education failed to equip the people to face such an eventuality? The main purpose of education is to prepare citizens to face the future with courage and dignity, outside of facilitating them to obtain careers/jobs. In this context, a relook into the system of higher education is warranted. Serious introspection/evaluation of our education in its entirety: structure, content, method, evaluation etc. - may be carried out, the earlier this is done the better.
Some perspective on higher education in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic
• It must be reiterated and underlined with a sense of urgency that all faculty members need to update themselves on the use of information communication technology (ICT), particularly in the use of mass and social media so that it can open the possibility of conducting online classes, prepare study and reference materials, etc. The need to upgrade skills in this field has been vividly magnified in this lockdown situation. So, refresher courses and orientation programs must compulsorily include hand-on sessions in the use of such technological devices and software. In addition, educational institutions must urgently invest in setting up recording rooms and installing video equipment so as to enable the faculty to access aforementioned facilities. Institutions can also prepare to offer some classes online should the need arise again. However, such an option will depend on several factors such as electricity/power supply, internet connectivity, students’ access to laptops and smartphones. Hence, the conducting of online classes and examinations will take some time for the State to arrange.
• Overcrowded classrooms should be avoided. Adequate space for each individual student should be provided in classrooms. Educational institutions will have this opportunity to creatively think of ways in addressing the issue of social/physical distancing. It goes without saying that institutional planning to incorporate all of these changes must be given priority.
Enrolment of students for the coming academic year may have to be scaled down, especially those institutions that cannot provide adequate physical infrastructure, so as to mitigate the issue caused by this pandemic. Educational institutions can help by working towards providing recorded videos and audio lessons in CDs or the internet for use by the students as study material. Besides, special apps can be formulated for students to be able to access at any time. Also, a means to contact students with any information more efficiently at any given time can be formulated.
• Healthcare services and provisions must be prioritized in educational institutions. The health care centres should be fully equipped to handle all emergency situations following all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in case of serious cases. Sanitization facilities should be made readily available in abundance. The safety and security of all working officials, administrative staff, faculty, students, and all employees should be taken care of. Free medical check-ups can be conducted via medical camps periodically. Adequate knowledge of diseases coupled with information on medical and healthcare services will definitely enable all people to respond maturely.
• Hostel mess/kitchen, canteens, and food courts should maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Canteens should provide fresh and organic healthy food and snacks. Nutritionists can be involved in planning and managing food and catering for health and also to build immunity. The importance of keeping in good health has never been understood better or needed more urgently. Healthy eating and exercising regimes may also go a long way in combating disease and staying physically strong and mentally fit.
• Curricular programs should be reviewed and made suitable to the demands of these complex times with the viral pandemic bringing the world to its knees. In the case of developing countries including India and particularly the region of its Northeast, they are going through unprecedented, horrific experiences due to a pre-existing state of unpreparedness. For instance, there is a huge need for knowledge on mental health and hygiene, education and skill in technology, physical & health education, vocational oriented courses, lessons on ethics and human values such as compassion and tolerance, practical projects in helping the poor and the under-privileged in society may be introduced at all levels of education. Such disciplines can be a mandatory component for all fields of study - Science, Arts, Commerce, Management, Agricultural Studies, professional and technical programs.
• It will also be constructive to create and integrate a hybrid of conventional and distance-mode systems in future. A radical suggestion of splitting larger classes into two sections to maintain social distancing may also be suggested and students attend alternate days (Monday to Saturday). On days at home, students can be updated with recorded lessons and/or go online for classes, and prepare assignments accordingly. This is a suggestion that can be taken into consideration by educational institutions and incorporated wherever feasible and whenever approved by concerned higher authorities.
(Note: The views expressed in this write-up is solely that of the writer's and does not in any way reflect that of the University's)
