How to transform educational system
to face next Covid crisis
Salnikova Ekaterina Georgievna
In spring 2020 the spread of the COVID-19 led
to schools shut all over the world. The traditional schooling system could not
be used in these circumstances. Education has changed dramatically: e-learning
dominated in schools and universities as it was one of the most sufficient ways
out of the situation.
Teachers and lectors worked remotely and used
different digital platforms to keep contacts with their students. A great
amount of Russian schools are connected to their regional system of digital
education where teachers can publish homework tasks, check assessments and
evaluate them. It was a great advantage in the situation. In addition, they
reached out to learners efficiently and effectively through groups in the
social nets, for instance, VK, video meetings via Zoom and Skype and Google
Classroom. Fortunately, many online learning platforms, for example, skyeng or
uchi.ru, offered free access to their services.
However, there were some challenges to
overcome. Some students with insufficient bandwidth, without Internet
connection and in some cases without any suitable gadgets felt depressed. The
lockdown showed the gap between people from different social groups. Although
some schools and local authorities provided digital equipment to needy
students, the problem was not solved in the whole country.
In addition, not all teachers were able to use
digital resources to organize their work. The reasons are different: the lack
of training, not enough experience or absence of gadgets and the Internet. It
is difficult to imagine but many teachers in remote areas of our country do not
have reliable Internet access. The only place with the Internet is a school
which was closed during the quarantine.
Another issue to tackle is digital skills of
students. As it turned out, children who seemed to be born with a gadget in a
hand were not able to work with easy platforms without adults’ support.
Moreover, distance learning with all its advantages requires self-discipline,
time management skills and the ability to cope with different destructors.
E-learning is
helpful in many ways and it is crucial to implement it into traditional
education system. Though traditional lessons and lectures create a special atmosphere
and give an opportunity not only transmit knowledge but also build character,
online learning can be integrated in it as it will accelerate education
process. Besides, it will greatly support educators in case of another wave of
the COVID-19 or in another case of lockdowns. To have a sufficient e-learning
system the government should prepare a basement for it. Without modern digital
gadgets and reliable Internet connection there is no sense to build a new
e-learning system. Educators must get a proper preparation and enough training
to use modern technologies. The problems of teachers should be taken into
account, too. As sometimes they are forced to work with slow programs which can
be changed by new effective ones. Parents need a kind of preparation, too.
Nowadays we can meet parents who do not use the Internet in their professional
life and they are not able to explain the children the advantages of using the
Internet not only as entertainment but also as a method of self-education and
self-development.
To sum up, it is
necessary to say that e-learning can become an integral part of education
system and it can force the development of education.
