Paper Example on Covid-19: Global Disruption of Education Affects 1.6 Billion Learners

Introduction

The world is currently facing an unseen enemy whose effect is far beyond the health crisis. The pandemic has affected key areas of social and economic aspects, including trade, employment, businesses, ways of life, and education. These combined aspects have created disruption in the education system affecting more than 1.6 billion learners in over 190 countries globally (UN, 2020), representing 94 percent of learners, with the low- and middle-income countries being affected more (UN, 2020). The current crisis has exacerbated pre-existing learning disparities by minimizing most learners' opportunities to continue learning. As such, this article will analyze the effect the pandemic has had on the institution of higher learning, both systematically and financially, and recommend possible solutions.

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Systematic Impact

Inequities

Most of the institutions had to lockdown as part of the measure to contain the virus's spread. The institutions were forced to adopt the information technology (ICT) resources to deliver their programs to the enrolled students (Mohamedbhai, 2020). However, the adoption of ICT has presented countless challenges, especially to middle- and low-income countries, due to the lack of proper ICT infrastructure, increasing the already divide between the developing and developed country's education delivery. Simultaneously, there are institutions with better ICT infrastructure, including the personnel knowledge experience compared to others in the same region (Mohamedbhai, 2020). The issue with this is, these institutions are highly unaffordable amid the pending financial crisis, thus increasing the divide between the rich who can afford such institutions and the poor, making quality education to be accessible only by the rich.

Quality

It is misleading to claim that online learning can be efficient, by posting the instructors' notes and lectures online, or the video conferencing. However, this is what is happening currently. Research has shown that, for quality e-learning, the lectures and other learning materials are required to be prepared by instructional designers, trained professionally, and that the lecturers should be pedagogically trained to deliver the programs (Mohamedbhai, 2020). The learners should also be exposed to a similar pedagogy of e-learning. However, the Covid-19 met a population unprepared for such. Again, the most practical units, such as health sciences, cannot be taught online as the student needs to be present in the laboratories, which is unfortunate as these are some of the most critical professions currently and in the foreseeable future.

Economic Impact

Foreign Students

International students' decline is a major concern to the institutions as they contribute significantly to the country's domestic higher education market. In the United States for example, the Chinese learners constitutes approximately 33.4 percent of the foreign learners' (THE, 2020). The Indians students also make up to 18.4 percent of the foreign student population. While the containment measures, such as travel restrictions, have had a significant impact on the virus's spread, they have left international students stranded. A Covid-19 Survey by the Institute of International Education (IIE) indicates that almost 1000 Chinese students cannot return to the US to continue their studies (THE, 2020). Despite being a minute percentage, the uncertainty of how long the pandemic will take provide grave concerns. Continued restrictions will most definitely place the United States education system in an unprecedented economic downturn.

Financial Strains

In an article by the New York Times, the president of Brown University, Christina Paxson, stated that “the reopening of the college and university system in the fall should be a national priority” (Lee, 2020). The opinion closely aligns with the financial strains blended by COVID-19 on college and universities and the learners' tuition loss. This is more so because of the massive job losses, rendering most financiers and supporters to lose income sources, an effect that trickle down to the students (Lee, 2020). Also, most of the institutions were already in a precarious financial position before the pandemic, which has not been made better by adopting ICT resources, thus placing a majority under a pending closure.

Proposed Solutions

Maximizing Online Learning

Through the economic stimulus plans, the governments should create an improved, cheaper, and effective ICT infrastructure to all the institutions, a measure that will have an extensive impact on reducing the inequalities, and student retention. Though most critical institutions have already shifted online, the government must assists in providing professionally designed learning materials, and free seminars and programs to the lecturers and students that will guide the shift. The e-learning platforms should be provided for free to ensure that the students and guardians only have to pay for the tuition fee without any additional cost, like the software, learning materials, and streaming services. These measures will be beneficial to middle- and low-income students.

Educate Stakeholders and Students on Best Practices

While online learning is such a great platform, there are units, especially in science and technology, that require the students and the lecturers to interact. The institution administrations should ensure that it has implemented all the measures, such as instructing all the stakeholders on the proper ways of handwashing, face masks and shield, proper coughing, and elaborate procedures on how to self-isolate in case of any symptom. The return to campus should also be procedural for the individuals who have traveled far and wide or coming from high-risk areas.

Conclusion

The current coronavirus has introduced immeasurable challenges to society's social and economic aspects, which are derailing the achievement of SDGs, which have education at the core. Higher learning institutions were forced to lock down and shift to online resources to curb the virus's spread. The shift has had immense challenges, especially towards the middle- and lower-income population due to infrastructure challenges, school unpreparedness, and lack of experienced staff. On another front, there has been a sharp decline in the foreign student return and enrollment due to travel restrictions, which exposes the universities to financial downturn. The government should concentrate resources on improving ICT infrastructure. Institutions should also place protective measures like hand washing and social distancing among the students and workers.

References

Mohamedbhai, G. (2020, April 19) COVID-19: What consequences for higher education? (n.d.). University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200407064850279

United Nations [UN] (2020, August). Policy brief: Education during COVID-19 and beyond. https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/08/sg_policy_brief_covid-19_and_education_august_2020.pdf

Times Higher Education [THE]. (2020, April 15). The Impact of Coronavirus on Higher Education Times Higher Education (THE). https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/keystone-academic-solutions/p/impact-coronavirus-higher-education

Lee, C (2020, June 30). The Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education: What Will 2020-2021 Look Like. Www.Turnitin.Com. https://www.turnitin.com/blog/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-higher-education-what-will-2020-2021-look-like‌