INEQUALITIES IN EDUCATION IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

With the advent of Covid-19 in 2019 the concerned authority imposes lockdown and shutting down of educational institution. Traditional classroom teaching and learning had to be shifted to virtual learning. Students dropping out from education and learning loss of student is likely to increase due to learning difficulties caused by Covid-19 pandemic. Caste, class, religion, place of birth, culture and socio-economic background are some of the factors that determines the opportunities of education before Covid-19 pandemic. Factors of educational inequalities took a new form during pandemic. Descriptive study method is employed for the present study. It is found from the study that during Covid-19 pandemic factors like smart phone, internet connectivity, electricity supply, home environment, parental support and computer skills determines to what extend children will have access to educational. Attempts have made to discuss the problem of online learning that have raise the need for computer skills, good internet connection, stable power supply, smart phones, conducive learning environment at home and parental support. Although the issue of educational inequality during pandemic may seem very trivial to some people yet this has the potential to be the cause of problems like loss of motivation among the students, grade loss and loss of employment opportunity and lacking behind their peers for some students. Most of the students facing virtual learning issue during pandemic belong to the group whose voice did not receives much attention even when they raise their voice. Through this paper the author believe that it will serves as a lesson to prepare ourselves for future pandemic