My qualms with the online education system.

In Bhutan due to Covid, we had another lockdown that -this time- lasted a while over a month. To most students like me, lockdown was a blessing. We no longer had to wake up early just to go to school where we would have to brave the biting cold and unbearably long lessons. The threat of being lulled to sleep by our teachers voices was no longer present and we could stay at home and do whatever we pleased.

The first few weeks were unbelievably uneventful and rather pleasant. Other than completing the homework that was assigned, I barely studied. I spent my days sleeping, dancing, eating, exercising, and binge-watching movies. I was content. I got to stay up late and spend all day in bed after I had woken up (which was sometime around lunch) and didn’t really have much to do.

Then, I was reminded of my exams. They were approaching and I hadn’t prepared at all. Since I had been at home the whole time and our teachers had just sent assignments and hadn’t held online classes, I had no idea what I had “studied”.

My mind went blank. The exams were imminent and as I am currently studying in the ninth grade, my results this year would be very, very important. They would shape the rest of my academic years.

I beat myself up over not studying and putting in extra effort for a while before I decided that I had to start studying. With the help of my parents, I cleaned up my desk and downloaded all the textbooks that I had left at school. I had come to a conclusion; I had to take this seriously.

As a result, for the past few weeks I have been cramming and revising and envying the lower classes whose results were determined by the assessment of their assignments. However, after talking to a friend who is studying in the eighth grade, I realized that I hadn’t gotten the short end of the stick.

After talking to her, I got to understand that the younger classes (who had probably attended classes for only a month or two) barely studied. No online classes were held, and there were no interactive experiences between the teachers and the students.

Upon hearing my friend state that she had hardly learned anything, I felt let down and disappointed. Why couldn’t they take out a few of minutes to pin a couple videos explaining the concept with the assignments? Or hold an online class every week or so? It felt as though they had completely dismissed us.

Of course there are teachers that go the extra mile to make sure we’ve understood the concepts taught or that we are able to answer whatever questions that may be thrown at us. They try to make online learning fun with jokes and memes thrown in here and there. Our school counsellor reaches out at least once a week to make sure we’re doing fine.

But then again I had overlooked those teachers and my mind was completely focused on the teachers that didn’t do as much as I felt they should have. But after a talk with my parents, I realized that I was being too pessimistic about the situation.

They told me stories of teachers who traveled from household to household to personally teach students that didn’t have access to the internet or any electronic devices. They told me to try and put myself in my teachers’ shoes. See what they see, try and think how they think.

So, I got to thinking, “What if they’re having a tough time too?” Even without considering their jobs they still have to deal with their own families and mental health. They have to deal with being cooped up in their houses without outside contact.

They have to get used to teaching through a screen after teaching face-to-face and unlike other government officials, laptops are not provided as they are, normally, not suited to the nature of work. This decision was probably reached as teachers teach a class in person and correct notebooks and tests with the help of nothing but a red pen.

That leads me to another thought. What if I’ve been hurling my sticks and stones at a shadow and not the actual object blocking the sun? All this time I had felt dismayed and vexed when my teachers must have struggled just as I have. They, too, must have been confused and stressed.

We as a country weren’t prepared, so how could I have expected my teachers to perfectly deal with something that all of us struggle with? Our systems are designed to cater to students face to face.

It had never occurred to anyone that one day, we would be studying through a screen or that we would be submitting our work online. Before the first lockdown, I didn’t even know google classroom existed.

That’s exactly the problem. We were not prepared, we still aren’t. We know our education system has it’s flaws but it’s never been a huge issue until now. The system has gotten away with so much, but now? Now, this pandemic has ripped off it’s protective layer. Revealing it’s weaknesses to the world. And they aren’t “perfect imperfections”, rather they are limitations that are going to hold us back until we get rid of them.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading and see you next week!