The education system around the world has been shaped significantly by the events of 2020 such as the global spread of covid-19 and the lockdowns that ensued. The long-lasting effects of these changes are expected to last for decades to come.
The covid-19 pandemic highlighted the underbelly of the education system in most countries. The inequalities in the system that have long been ignored became visible for all to see and the governments around the world could no longer hide decades of institutional inequalities.
Covid-19 and the school lockdowns
After covid-19 hit started spreading exponentially around the world, a way of controlling its spread had to be devised. The most plausible solution was the lockdowns that promised to curb the spread of the virus. By March, most countries in the world had already started implementing some form of lockdowns or were in the process of implementing lockdowns and restrictions.
The results for the education sector meant that educators had to come up with new ways of continuing with the education and that meant doing remote learning.
Remote learning is where the inequalities of the education system began to become clear. Most students around the world could have no internet access, which meant that they discontinued their education. This was, however, not the case for more privileged households, which even the spread of coronavirus could not dent their schedules and their education continued as normal.
Eight months down the line and the schools already doing in-person learning for most countries that had implemented the lockdowns and restrictions, the education system has changed in ways that will upend how the education system in years to come.
2020 and the future of education
The covid-19 pandemic provided a glimpse of what a large scale integration of technology in the education system would look like. It also offered the impacts and the cons of technology in education and highlighted how inequalities in society can slow down the integration of technology in the education system.
Going forward, education policymakers have become wary of the challenges the education sector is currently facing. The covid-19 impact on the education system around the world has been a wake-up call for schools and governments.
Featured image by Pixabay
