By Dr. Charuni Kohombange
Humanity is in a gigantic educational crisis and potentially one of the greatest threats to global education. According to World Bank (WB) data, as of March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic is causing more than 1.6 billion children and youth to be out of school in 161 countries. This is nearly 80% of the world’s enrolled student population. Before the outbreak started, the WB’s “Learning Poverty” indicator (the percentage of children who cannot read and understand at the age of 10 years), was 53% in low and middle-income countries. This pandemic has the potential to worsen this, if the countries do not act fast.
Considering the national need of reforming the education system in Sri Lanka, the Organisation of Professional Association’s (OPA) Standing Committee for Education has initiated multi-stakeholder discussions to identify the way forward for the education system in Sri Lanka and develop recommendations addressing the full continuum of education from school education to life-long learning. The main focus is on ensuring equity in education, adapting to the new normal, and also on technology-enhanced education.
The Human Resources Committee of the OPA, in collaboration with the National Issues Committee and Career Guidance and Skills Development Committee, conducted a webinar on “Challenges and Opportunities in the New Normal of School Education” on 5 April 2021. Resource persons representing all stakeholders contributed with their expertise. The objectives of the webinar were to discuss how school education should adapt to the new normal (strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities), how to ensure equity while minimising disparities, and the optimum use of available and affordable technology.
The webinar was moderated by Organisation of Professionals Association in Sri Lanka Vice President and University of Colombo (UoC) Medical Education Prof. Indika Karunathilake. This article excerpts the discussion.
[caption id="attachment_133273" align="alignright" width="287"]
"This situation can be considered a blessing in disguise as well. Currently, the education system is targeting mainly content teaching, but not on student-centred teaching and for seeking knowledge. In general, children find it easier to adapt to the new normal than adults. Therefore, it is easy to teach and change the behaviour of students to protect them, the community, and empower the social health via an accommodative process" UoC Medical Education Prof. Indika Karunathilake[/caption]
Current Covid-19 situation
UoC Community Medicine Prof. Manuj Weerasinghe explained the current Covid-19 situation. He clearly expressed the concern that the situation may worsen after the New Year celebrations.
“There was some ignorance after good control of the first wave and we are still struggling to contain the second wave for about six months – since last October.”
In the global scenario, up to about mid-February, the number of cases was going down. However, currently, the situation is changing across the globe and a high number of cases are being reported. This trend can be due to a few reasons such as the mutation of the virus to more virulent strains, causing high transmissibility.
“People becoming ignorant and rushing for celebrations is not a healthy situation,” he said. “For children below 20 years, still there is no approved vaccine in the world for Covid-19. Also, teachers are not vaccinated still, apart from few in certain areas in Colombo. Hence, both teachers and schoolchildren are vulnerable. Even if we get enough vaccines to inoculate teachers, the schoolchildren will be a vulnerable population and it accounts for one-fifth of the total population. We observe sporadic cases of Covid among both schoolchildren and teachers in many parts of the country,” said Prof. Weerasinghe.
Later, Prof. Weerasinghe mentioned the current situation of Covid-19. “Considering the observed behaviour prior and during the Avurudu season, it is expected to have a sharp rise in cases across the country during late April and early May. This could be the beginning of the third wave in the country and, as evident from the other countries in the region, could lead to a crisis. Therefore, extra vigilance and strict application of control measures is mandatory. Delayed decision-making and lethargic approaches can cripple school education again,” concluded Prof. Weerasinghe.
Psychological issues of children in adapting to ‘new normal’
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and UoC Faculty of Medicine Senior Lecturer Dr. Miyuru Chandradasa said that there is a clear increase in cases of children presenting with anxiety. This can be due to many reasons such as missing friends, missing school life, lack of access to online learning, difficulties in comprehending the online learning methods, and economic difficulties of parents. “These children may present with physical problems such as abdominal pain and headaches,” said Dr. Chandradasa.
Vulnerable children who are having mild to moderate in-attention and hyperactivity are highly affected by this situation. As they keep the focus with the help of the presence of the teachers and peers, isolated online learning aggravates the learning difficulties.
After recommencement of schools, the children who are facing main exams such as the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) are becoming anxious and confused with the need of catching up on the missed classes. “Since our education system is highly exam-driven, children are becoming more stressed and anxious. There will be a marked disparity between higher and lower economic classes related to school performance, as affording online learning has become difficult for the lower income families,” said Dr. Chandradasa.
According to Dr. Chandradasa, school refusal also can be a major problem, as children have lost the rhythm of their life of going to school. “In the future, we might see a lack of social-emotional skills in children if the schools remain closed for longer durations.”
[caption id="attachment_133274" align="alignright" width="275"]
"Since our education system is highly exam-driven, children are becoming more stressed and anxious. There will be a marked disparity between higher and lower economic classes related to school performance, as affording online learning has become difficult for the lower income families" Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and UoC Faculty of Medicine Senior Lecturer Dr. Miyuru Chandradasa [/caption]
Experience of Visakha Vidyalaya
Visakha Vidayalaya Vice Principal Kalani Sooriyapperuma mentioned how the school is adapting to the new normal. “Initially, online teaching was conducted for all children. Even though the activities related to socio-emotional development were lacking during that period, it was possible to catch up, as the school could function with 50% of the students,” she said, adding that the children were so much more enthusiastic to come to school after a long vacation.
Visakha Vidyalaya adapts combined physical and online learning by teaching 50% of the students in the classes while the rest join online. By this method, children will not miss school life and it will be helpful in building up their social and emotional intelligence.
Experience of Royal College, Colombo
Board of Investment (BOI) Director General (DG) and Royal College Old Boys’ Union Representative Pasan Wanigasekara discussed the methods used at Royal College, Colombo. “Considering the sports, it is really sad that the students in grade 13 will be missing their final chance to play for the school,” said Wanigasekara, highlighting the importance of extracurricular and co-curricular activities in school education.
However, Royal College has encouraged all sports teams to conduct fitness activities and simple game techniques online to keep the momentum. Online quizzes and talent contests are also being arranged for students to bring them together.
“The participation levels were higher, as the majority of our students could afford online learning. However, this scenario will not be possible in a rural setup,” he said.
Role of electronic media for assisting school education
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Director – Education Division Chandrasiri Thambawita explained their role in helping school education. Thambawita said that the SLRC is serving the education system for almost four decades, free of charge.
Since mid-March, the SLRC has taken steps to telecast school education programmes based on the school curriculum with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education and National Institution of Education. These programmes were telecasted live in both Sinhala and Tamil medium. “Since the coverage of Rupavahini is satisfactory, it could facilitate students in the rural areas,” said Thambawita.
It is not just that the students in rural areas cannot afford the technology for online learning but the signal strength to connect is also low in those areas, making the students more helpless. For these students, lessons on television could be the best way of learning during the pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_133275" align="alignright" width="270"]
"People becoming ignorant and rushing for celebrations is not a healthy situation. For children below 20 years, still there is no approved vaccine in the world for Covid-19. Also, teachers are not vaccinated still, apart from few in certain areas in Colombo. Hence, both teachers and schoolchildren are vulnerable" UoC Community Medicine Prof. Manuj Weerasinghe[/caption]
Urban and rural low-income classes severely affected
Ministry of Education Additional Secretary Badra Withanage touched on issues and challenges in online education such as lack of facilities and unequal distribution of resources. Withanage pointed out that there are major issues related to access to online learning, not only in rural areas but also in urban areas due to economical constrains in families. Similarly, there are many schools lacking resources for online learning and connectivity.
“In some families, with the loss of income sources, parents are struggling with the household management and the education of children is being neglected,” said Withanage. Lack of interactions among students and teachers in online learning has become a major issue in learning.
Furthermore, she highlighted the need of arranging a “catch-up education system”, especially for the children in grades 1 and 2, who have lost their primary school education due to the pandemic.
The way forward
Summarising the conclusions of the webinar discussion, Prof. Karunathilake explained the way forward:
“There is a need for continuing distance learning. However, nearly 64% of children have no access to the internet. Due to the digital divide, large-scale changes are not possible at the moment but can combine all modalities of telecommunication to deliver the knowledge. For example, developing television and radio programmes for O/L, A/L, and scholarship children will help to deliver the knowledge to the rural parts of the country. These radio programmes can increase students’ listening skills as well. A digital education system is essential, as in the future, there will be a need to adapt school education to distance learning as much as possible.
“Promoting student-centred learning experiences linking the television and radio while using the ‘pelapoth’ system as the backbone, is a possible solution to ensure equity in education.
“It is important to create TV channels dedicated to students. This will create an opportunity to make use of the best teachers in the country, as they can conduct classes on television or radio for the entire student population of the country.
“Sharing physical resources of schools will be an effective way in overcoming the resource scarcity.
“Parents of underprivileged students also have to be addressed, as they are not educated enough to guide the children on the correct path.
“Online quiz programmes, debates, etc. could be organised for students to help free them from stress due to online education.
“This situation can be considered a blessing in disguise as well. Currently, the education system is targeting mainly content teaching, but not on student-centred teaching and for seeking knowledge. In general, children find it easier to adapt to the new normal than adults. Therefore, it is easy to teach and change the behaviour of students to protect them, the community, and empower the social health via an accommodative process. The value of communication, compassion, and creativity is valuable to manage the situation of Covid-19. It is important to make our children think laterally and encourage them for student-centred education.
“Ensuring equity in education while optimally utilising technology is the challenge as well as the opportunity in the new normal.”
(The writer is a Medical Officer – Healthcare Quality and Safety of the Ministry of Health)
"This situation can be considered a blessing in disguise as well. Currently, the education system is targeting mainly content teaching, but not on student-centred teaching and for seeking knowledge. In general, children find it easier to adapt to the new normal than adults. Therefore, it is easy to teach and change the behaviour of students to protect them, the community, and empower the social health via an accommodative process" UoC Medical Education Prof. Indika Karunathilake[/caption]
Current Covid-19 situation
UoC Community Medicine Prof. Manuj Weerasinghe explained the current Covid-19 situation. He clearly expressed the concern that the situation may worsen after the New Year celebrations.
“There was some ignorance after good control of the first wave and we are still struggling to contain the second wave for about six months – since last October.”
In the global scenario, up to about mid-February, the number of cases was going down. However, currently, the situation is changing across the globe and a high number of cases are being reported. This trend can be due to a few reasons such as the mutation of the virus to more virulent strains, causing high transmissibility.
“People becoming ignorant and rushing for celebrations is not a healthy situation,” he said. “For children below 20 years, still there is no approved vaccine in the world for Covid-19. Also, teachers are not vaccinated still, apart from few in certain areas in Colombo. Hence, both teachers and schoolchildren are vulnerable. Even if we get enough vaccines to inoculate teachers, the schoolchildren will be a vulnerable population and it accounts for one-fifth of the total population. We observe sporadic cases of Covid among both schoolchildren and teachers in many parts of the country,” said Prof. Weerasinghe.
Later, Prof. Weerasinghe mentioned the current situation of Covid-19. “Considering the observed behaviour prior and during the Avurudu season, it is expected to have a sharp rise in cases across the country during late April and early May. This could be the beginning of the third wave in the country and, as evident from the other countries in the region, could lead to a crisis. Therefore, extra vigilance and strict application of control measures is mandatory. Delayed decision-making and lethargic approaches can cripple school education again,” concluded Prof. Weerasinghe.
Psychological issues of children in adapting to ‘new normal’
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and UoC Faculty of Medicine Senior Lecturer Dr. Miyuru Chandradasa said that there is a clear increase in cases of children presenting with anxiety. This can be due to many reasons such as missing friends, missing school life, lack of access to online learning, difficulties in comprehending the online learning methods, and economic difficulties of parents. “These children may present with physical problems such as abdominal pain and headaches,” said Dr. Chandradasa.
Vulnerable children who are having mild to moderate in-attention and hyperactivity are highly affected by this situation. As they keep the focus with the help of the presence of the teachers and peers, isolated online learning aggravates the learning difficulties.
After recommencement of schools, the children who are facing main exams such as the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) are becoming anxious and confused with the need of catching up on the missed classes. “Since our education system is highly exam-driven, children are becoming more stressed and anxious. There will be a marked disparity between higher and lower economic classes related to school performance, as affording online learning has become difficult for the lower income families,” said Dr. Chandradasa.
According to Dr. Chandradasa, school refusal also can be a major problem, as children have lost the rhythm of their life of going to school. “In the future, we might see a lack of social-emotional skills in children if the schools remain closed for longer durations.”
[caption id="attachment_133274" align="alignright" width="275"] "Since our education system is highly exam-driven, children are becoming more stressed and anxious. There will be a marked disparity between higher and lower economic classes related to school performance, as affording online learning has become difficult for the lower income families" Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and UoC Faculty of Medicine Senior Lecturer Dr. Miyuru Chandradasa [/caption]
Experience of Visakha Vidyalaya
Visakha Vidayalaya Vice Principal Kalani Sooriyapperuma mentioned how the school is adapting to the new normal. “Initially, online teaching was conducted for all children. Even though the activities related to socio-emotional development were lacking during that period, it was possible to catch up, as the school could function with 50% of the students,” she said, adding that the children were so much more enthusiastic to come to school after a long vacation.
Visakha Vidyalaya adapts combined physical and online learning by teaching 50% of the students in the classes while the rest join online. By this method, children will not miss school life and it will be helpful in building up their social and emotional intelligence.
Experience of Royal College, Colombo
Board of Investment (BOI) Director General (DG) and Royal College Old Boys’ Union Representative Pasan Wanigasekara discussed the methods used at Royal College, Colombo. “Considering the sports, it is really sad that the students in grade 13 will be missing their final chance to play for the school,” said Wanigasekara, highlighting the importance of extracurricular and co-curricular activities in school education.
However, Royal College has encouraged all sports teams to conduct fitness activities and simple game techniques online to keep the momentum. Online quizzes and talent contests are also being arranged for students to bring them together.
“The participation levels were higher, as the majority of our students could afford online learning. However, this scenario will not be possible in a rural setup,” he said.
Role of electronic media for assisting school education
Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Director – Education Division Chandrasiri Thambawita explained their role in helping school education. Thambawita said that the SLRC is serving the education system for almost four decades, free of charge.
Since mid-March, the SLRC has taken steps to telecast school education programmes based on the school curriculum with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education and National Institution of Education. These programmes were telecasted live in both Sinhala and Tamil medium. “Since the coverage of Rupavahini is satisfactory, it could facilitate students in the rural areas,” said Thambawita.
It is not just that the students in rural areas cannot afford the technology for online learning but the signal strength to connect is also low in those areas, making the students more helpless. For these students, lessons on television could be the best way of learning during the pandemic.
[caption id="attachment_133275" align="alignright" width="270"] "People becoming ignorant and rushing for celebrations is not a healthy situation. For children below 20 years, still there is no approved vaccine in the world for Covid-19. Also, teachers are not vaccinated still, apart from few in certain areas in Colombo. Hence, both teachers and schoolchildren are vulnerable" UoC Community Medicine Prof. Manuj Weerasinghe[/caption]
Urban and rural low-income classes severely affected
Ministry of Education Additional Secretary Badra Withanage touched on issues and challenges in online education such as lack of facilities and unequal distribution of resources. Withanage pointed out that there are major issues related to access to online learning, not only in rural areas but also in urban areas due to economical constrains in families. Similarly, there are many schools lacking resources for online learning and connectivity.
“In some families, with the loss of income sources, parents are struggling with the household management and the education of children is being neglected,” said Withanage. Lack of interactions among students and teachers in online learning has become a major issue in learning.
Furthermore, she highlighted the need of arranging a “catch-up education system”, especially for the children in grades 1 and 2, who have lost their primary school education due to the pandemic.
The way forward
Summarising the conclusions of the webinar discussion, Prof. Karunathilake explained the way forward:
“There is a need for continuing distance learning. However, nearly 64% of children have no access to the internet. Due to the digital divide, large-scale changes are not possible at the moment but can combine all modalities of telecommunication to deliver the knowledge. For example, developing television and radio programmes for O/L, A/L, and scholarship children will help to deliver the knowledge to the rural parts of the country. These radio programmes can increase students’ listening skills as well. A digital education system is essential, as in the future, there will be a need to adapt school education to distance learning as much as possible.
“Promoting student-centred learning experiences linking the television and radio while using the ‘pelapoth’ system as the backbone, is a possible solution to ensure equity in education.
“It is important to create TV channels dedicated to students. This will create an opportunity to make use of the best teachers in the country, as they can conduct classes on television or radio for the entire student population of the country.
“Sharing physical resources of schools will be an effective way in overcoming the resource scarcity.
“Parents of underprivileged students also have to be addressed, as they are not educated enough to guide the children on the correct path.
“Online quiz programmes, debates, etc. could be organised for students to help free them from stress due to online education.
“This situation can be considered a blessing in disguise as well. Currently, the education system is targeting mainly content teaching, but not on student-centred teaching and for seeking knowledge. In general, children find it easier to adapt to the new normal than adults. Therefore, it is easy to teach and change the behaviour of students to protect them, the community, and empower the social health via an accommodative process. The value of communication, compassion, and creativity is valuable to manage the situation of Covid-19. It is important to make our children think laterally and encourage them for student-centred education.
“Ensuring equity in education while optimally utilising technology is the challenge as well as the opportunity in the new normal.”
(The writer is a Medical Officer – Healthcare Quality and Safety of the Ministry of Health)