The Irony of Online Education | Exploring the Limitations of Online Learning in Indian Public Schools

With schools closing down to contain the pandemic, we find ourselves in the unprecedented predicament of forcing our young learners to choose between their right to life and their right to basic education. The reliance on technology to mitigate this disruption has thus seen a dramatic increase. While online education can be a formidable tool for teaching & learning, it would be shortsighted to think that mechanisms to make access equal for all aren’t needed. The brunt of Covid & the ensuing lockdown in India arguably has been faced by the financially & socially vulnerable.

Online learning grants students the freedom to learn at their own pace, choose what they learn and who they want to learn from. This allows for more control over how students consume information; they can fast forward or rewind through content as many times as they choose to and learn from faculty and experts around the globe. Another advantage of this format is that it makes many concepts tangible. Take for example the area of a circle. While our conventional education system creates conditions where students rote learn such formulae, online learning makes it easier for students to understand such concepts through videos & animation.

That being said, online learning is an ironic concept for many; while it sets the stage for knowledge to be “open source”, students who lack smart devices/connectivity are excluded from reaping the benefits of this.

In developing countries like India, where child labour is rampant and female students are more likely to be carrying the burden of household chores in addition to course load, online learning might further add to their restrictions and make learning seem like an unattainable privilege.

Lastly, it’s important to note that while online learning allows teachers to connect with students across economic, social, and geographical boundaries, it adds to their workload. As it stands, the average student-teacher ratio in Delhi is about 85:1 which is hard enough to manage in person let alone in a virtual school.

Online education also deprives learners of the “human touch”. In the new world order we are approaching, students will need more personalised attention from both teachers and parents especially in the short term to cope with the trauma of the lockdown.

Thus, while online learning can be an excellent tool in enriching a student’s education, we stand to squander a lot of its potential lest major structural changes are made.