View of IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

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VOLUME: 10, Special Issue 01, (IC-IESP-MULTI-2023) Paper id-IJIERM-X-I, January 2023 214

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM Dr. Joydev Gogoi

Associate Professor, Dept. of Business Management, D.H.S.K. Commerce College, Dibrugarh, Asssam

Abstract - The outbreak of Covid-19 has compelled the Government to declare a lockdown in every sector, including education. During lockdown 1.0 to lockdown 5.0, educational institutions throughout the nation were closed, and this Pandemic significantly impacted the Indian education sector. Entire academic activities were paralyzed and created many challenges for the stakeholders. Businesses all across the country may find ways to recover quickly in the upcoming years, recouping all their losses. Still, the Pandemic's impact on India's education sector may continue to have long-term devastating effects on the country's future human resource development. This paper highlights the significant impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Indian higher education, post-Covid-19 approaches, and challenges to the students of higher education.

Keywords: Covid-19, lockdown, Pandemic, higher education, impact.

1 INTRODUCTION

The spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic has drastically disrupted every aspect of human life, including education. Covid-19 has affected more than 4.5 million people worldwide (WHO).

It has thrown everyone's life into disarray and caused irreparable damage to many businesses all across the globe. India's GDP fell by 7.3 percent in the fiscal year 2021.

While the severity of the effect varies from sector to sector, few sectors have been affected the hardest. The true extent of the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on education was severe since many students could not attend their educational institutions, and many were facing the constraints of online learning. The impact on the country's education sector has received the least attention during that period. The Pandemic has significantly disrupted the higher education sector. World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In India, the first affected case of Covid-19 was detected on January 30, 2020 in Kerala. The affected had a travel history from Wuhan, China, and the first death was reported on March 12, 2020.

India observed Janta Curfew to combat the Coronavirus pandemic and assess the country's ability to fight the virus. Initially, the Prime Minister announced 1st phase of the lockdown on March 25, 2020for 21 days, and monitoring the effects of the virus, Indian Government has extended the lockdown period indifferent phases. Lockdown 5.0 was finally declared on April30, from 1^st June to 30^th June 2020. In India, there have been 44,368,195 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 527,452 deaths reported to WHO between January 3, 2020, and August 24, 2022. A total of 2, 10, 82, 34, 347 vaccination doses have been provided as of August 15, 2022 (Sarta, 2022).During the period of lockdown 1.0 to lockdown 5.0, educational institutions throughout the nation were closed, and this Pandemic impacted significantly on the Indian education sector severely. The academic calendar has been disrupted, and classroom learning is being replaced by online learning.

According to the UNESCO report, Covid-19 has affected nearly 68% of the world's student population as of the 1^st week of June 2020. The outbreak of Covid-19 has impacted about 1.2 billion students and youths across the globe through school and university closures. The two-year gap in college or universities made learning more complex and less efficient for such people in the coming years, eventually making them incompetent for formal sector jobs. According to UNESCO, a total number of 63 million teachers across 165 countries were affected, a total of 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able to attend schools or universities, and about 320 million learners were affected in India alone (Rawal, 2021). In India, more than 32 crores of students have been affected by the various restrictions and the nationwide lockdown for Covid-19. According to data from the 2017 National Sample Survey report, only 6% of rural and 25% of urban households have access to a computer. Lack of internet facilities was also a cause of concern, with only 17% of rural

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households and 42% of urban households having access to it. Data-enabled cell phones have increased access in the last four years, but many of the most disadvantaged still suffer, especially in rural areas. The academic environment in India turned out to be grimmer. According to surveys conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Azim Premji Foundation, ASER, and Oxfam, between 27% to 60% of students were unable to participate in online classes due to a variety of factors, including a lack of devices, shared devices, and the inability to purchase data packs. This worldwide closure has drastically impacted the world's student population. Businesses all across the country may find ways to recover quickly in the upcoming years, recouping all their losses. Still, the Pandemic's impact on India's education sector may continue to have long-term devastating effects on the country's prospective human resources.

Governments worldwide were trying to diminish the immediate impact of the closure of educational institutions, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. They tried to facilitate the continuity of education using different digital learning modes. According to a survey report of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, there are 993 universities, 39931 Colleges, and 10725 stand-alone institutions. The people residing in rural areas still need to be provided with the technologies and therefore hampering the cause of online education. Apart from this, many people usually do not possess a healthy learning environment at home – a peaceful study area is a luxury for many. For instance, in 2017-19, 25% of Indians lived in single-room houses. The most brutal impact of this is seen on those students who graduated or will graduate from colleges between 2019 and 2023.Due to Covid-19 Pandemic, many new modes of learning, new perspectives, and new trends have emerged, and the same may continue as we advance to a new tomorrow. Now, everyone is moving to an online mode of the teaching-learning process. As many schools and educational institutions moved to online platforms to continue learning, digital device remained a challenge for the country. Despite various challenges, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have reacted positively and managed to ensure the continuity of teaching-learning, research, and service to society with some tools and techniques during the Pandemic and the post-pandemic period. They are trying to find new alternatives to continue the academic calendar.

1.1 Objectives

The present study focuses on the following objectives -

1. To know the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Indian higher education, 2. To highlight the post Covid-19 approaches, and

3. To study various challenges to the students of higher education.

2 METHODOLOGY

All information and data related to this article have been collected from secondary sources.

Various reports from national and international agencies on the Covid-19 Pandemic are searched to collect data. Information is collected from different websites, journals, and e- contents relating to impact of Covid-19 on the higher education system of India.

3 IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Covid-19 Pandemic has severely affected the entire Indian educational sector. The major areas that were most impacted in Indian higher education are as highlighted here.

1. Impact on student's academic career and mental health:

The Pandemic has highly impacted the career and academic advancement of students.

Those Students who wanted to pursue higher education in different educational institutions outside the country could not join due to delays in declaring their end-semester results.

Students also faced severe learning challenges, losses, reduced academic skills, over- exposure, and dependence on the internet and gadgets. It finally leads to stress, anxiety,

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and depression among the students. Some students also found difficulties adjusting to everyday life when institutions opened.

2. Destabilized all academic activities:

All types of activities of educational institutions, like admission, examinations, entrance tests, and competitive examinations conducted by various boards/schools/colleges/

universities/government bodies, are postponed. Many entrance tests for higher study got canceled, creating a big challenge and uncertainty for students' career growth and development. The primary challenge was to continue the teaching-learning process without the physical presence of teachers and students on the campuses. The institutions had to follow an online teaching-learning system to overcome such situations. However, higher educational institutions tried to support the student community through online modes.

Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in the teaching-learning process. It influenced the behaviour of all teachers and students to more technology friendly during that period. The HEIs have started conducting orientation programmes, induction programmes, counseling classes, seminars, and other academic activities with the help of different e-conferencing tools like Google Meet, Skype, Youtube live, Facebook lives, WebEx, zoom, etc., to provide support services to the students. The teachers and students have also improved using electronic media for sharing information and knowledge by using WhatsApp, Google Drive, Telegram, Twitter, etc. Students had to submit scanned copies of answer scripts, home assignments, project reports, and internship reports to their institutions through email.

3. Impact on Academic Research & Professional Development:

The impact of Covid-19 on academic research and professional development is very significant. It has both positive and negative effects on research. On the positive side, academicians got much time to improve their theoretical research work with the help of the internet. Webinars and e-conferences became usual methods for sharing expertise among students and academicians around the globe with emerging issues. Academicians got acquainted with technologies and improved their research methods and techniques. They could get much time to concentrate on professional development by researching and improving knowledge by sharing ideas through webinars and e-conferences. They also published different articles in online journals and periodicals. All faculty development programmes, Refresher Courses, and Orientation programmes for faculty members were also conducted by the UGC in online mode, and the participants joined such programmes according to their convenience. On the other hand, if the negative side is considered, it has made it impossible for researchers to travel and work with others nationally and internationally to collect primary data. All research works were confined to secondary data and managed through an online survey. Research scholars could not submit their research report, dissertation, and thesis to their concerned authority on time, and some scientific laboratory testing or research works could not be conducted.

3. Severely affected the educational assessment system:

All the end-semester examinations were postponed. Some institutions also canceled almost all the internal assessments during the period. The cancellation of assessments harms students' motivation. Many institutions managed the internal assessments through online mode using different digital tools but the postponement of the external assessments. Due to the uncertainty of further studies, some students from economically weaker sections have dropped out of their institutions. It directly impacted the educational and occupational future of students‟ careers. Some institutions also promoted their students to the next class or semester without final examinations. Students were allotted the same class or grade as their previous examination. Similarly, many students who had appeared in final/board examinations suffered a lot by the time they got their certificates; it was too late for them to apply for higher education in other countries due to the lockdown.

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VOLUME: 10, Special Issue 01, (IC-IESP-MULTI-2023) Paper id-IJIERM-X-I, January 2023 217 4 NEW APPROACHES TO HIGHER EDUCATION DUE TO COVID-19

Covid-19 has created a new situation in the area of the higher education system of India.

However, the HEIs have responded positively to the case with a new vision and adopted various strategies to face the challenges during the Pandemic. The Government of India has also taken several preventive measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic and created mass awareness among the country's people. The MHRD and University Grants Commission (UGC) have made several arrangements by launching many virtual platforms with online depositories, e-books, other online teaching/learning materials, and educational channels through Direct to Home TV, Radios for students to continue their learning. They also recognized various online courses and programmes organized by different institutions during the pandemic. During the lockdown, students used social media tools like WhatsApp, Zoom, Google meets, Telegram, Youtube live, Facebook lives, and other electronic media to gather information and knowledge. ICTinitiative of MHRD (e-Broucher- https://mhrd.gov.in/ict-initiatives) is also a unique platform that combines all digital resources for online education (Jena, 2020). The digital India vision of the Government is emerging as a vital tool for solving the present crisis due to Covid-19(Jena, 2020). UGC has released Guidelines on Examinations and the Academic calendar because of COVID-l9 Pandemic and subsequent lockdown on 29^th April, 2020. All terminal examinations have been postponed and shifted to July 2020, and the suggested commencement of classes is from August 2020.UGC has also prepared a complete calendar for the academic session 2020-2021with new dates keeping in view the lockdown. UGC & MHRD took various digital initiatives like- e-Gyan Kosh, Gyandarshan, Gyandhara, Swayam, Swayam Prabha, e-PG Pathshala, e-Adhyayan, e-Pathya, online Digital Library of India (NDLI): Nati NDLI, VIDWAN, National Educational Alliance for Technology(NEAT), SAKSHAT, e-Yantra, FOSSEE, Virtual Labs, e-Shodh Sindhu, Shodhganga, etc., for maintaining the academic environment during COVID-19.

5 COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND CHALLENGES FOR STUDENTS

Various changes have occurred in the higher education sector due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The covid-19 situation taught the people of the globe new lessons. It has also opened new paths and created opportunities for a better tomorrow. The education scenario after the covid-19 Pandemic allows the education sector to imagine new ways of teaching- learning. New technologies have become part and parcel of the present education system.

This new journey now begins various challenges to the traditional education system, such as classroom lectures, modes of learning, and assessment. Some common changes in higher education in different higher educational institutions are mentioned below:

1. Students become virtual learners, with one teacher leading dozens of students in the new age. The learning modules may be modified to suit different learning styles, and the learning contents may come from various sources to meet the learners' aspirations and needs.

2. Student Attendance in the classroom is very poor and disturbs the teaching-learning process.

3. Some low-income family parents who have lost their job or employment during the Pandemic cannot afford the expenditure to send their children to HEIs.

4. National and International student mobility for higher study has come down.

Student safety and well-being issues are prime deciding factors for students and their parents. International education has been affected by the crisis. Many international universities have been closed and are delivering all educational activities online.

5. Students' participation in games and extracurricular activities is in low gear due to insufficient practice for longer.

6. The Pandemic raised the gap between privileged and unprivileged students. Learners from low-income families and disadvantaged groups suffer more as they cannot afford high-speed internet connection and require technical gadgets for online learning.

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7. Teaching learning has started with technology. More and more students now depend on technology and digital solutions for education, entertainment, and connecting themselves with the outside world.

8. Demand for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online learning have grown.Covid-19 has forced students to participate in online programmes during the pandemic period, and it continues.

9. Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies to deliver education and encouraged educational institutions to move towards the blended learning mode. All teachers and students became more technology savvy.

10. The student debt crisis has also risen. In India, many students or their parents took loans for higher education. If the employment market does not pick up, student debt crises may increase and create a serious issue.

11. The unemployment rate is expected to be increased more in the coming days. Fresh graduates who are likely to enter the job market shortly will face difficulty in getting suitable employment. Limited recruitment in Government and private sector is also a pressure among the students.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The Covid-19 Pandemic taught society how necessity is the mother of invention by allowing educational institutions to adopt online learning and virtual learning culture. Though the Pandemic created panic throughout the globe, it has created an opportunity for change in pedagogical approaches and the introduction of virtual education at all levels of education.

After the Pandemic, teachers and students have become very much familiar with the system of virtual education and the use of technology in teaching-learning. UGC and MHRD have launched many virtual platforms in a very flexible manner to benefit teachers and students.

The lockdown compelled the teachers in India to shift their method of „chalk and talk‟ to online education. As a result, there has been an explosion in the e-learning sector. Software applications like Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, and WhatsApp have become the norm for students, teachers, and parents. The Pandemic has been steering the education sector forward with technological innovation and advancements.

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