Ever since the infectious virus named COVID-19 has been diagnosed in people, and is identified by health experts to be able to transmit through mouth and nose, educational institutions have been shutting down. That is because educational institutes—colleges, schools, and universities—are crowded places, and they were becoming the reasons of virus transmission among the students. The cases were especially severe in pre- and mid-schools. Therefore, all the education was shifted to online platforms.
Basically, when the coronavirus was identified as a potential life killer, outbroke from China’s Wuhan Market, the Chinese government immediately closed down all the schools nationwide to stop the virus transmission. And when the campuses throughout the country were closed, Chinese universities opened more than 24,000 online courses, 401 courses in which were about virtual experimental simulations and 1,291 were quality courses of ‘national excellence’ introduced by the Ministry of Education, China. When the situation eventually got out of control, other countries took the same measures—with educational institutes—and started encouraging the online education without any direct physical contact.
Although it is a safe measure by the governments to protect students from infectious environments, the regularities are still pretty much complicated. Unfamiliarity with different online platforms, internet connectivity issues, mic and camera situations, and private space to take classes; these were the problems that students worldwide reported that they encountered in online education. The distant education tested the learners and the teachers’ capabilities for a whole new level.
It is undeniable that online education is complicated and it can take a while for people to adjust to it, but it is still much better than studying in harmful environments in school, where the virus is at large.
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is continuously contributing its support to the students and teachers worldwide in order to eliminate the immediate negative impact of school shutdowns. It is more challenging for vulnerable communities, who hadn’t had the best access to healthcare and education; they are at the most disadvantage, and educational organizations, such as UNESCO, are all about facilitating the continuity of education through all-factors-enabled remote learning.
In some countries, the annual exams are being cancelled so to not gather the tensed crowd at one place. As for the term exams in universities, they are being taken online in a number of countries. Few developing countries were struggling with the educational reforms—being confused by fluctuations in the coronavirus cases—therefore, they introduced such reforms where students would be allowed physically in class if they show a negative COVID test report; however, this was optional and preferred for those students who are finding it challenging to adjust to online platforms. Students who didn’t want to attend physically could opt out of the test and stay home.
However, it is recommended by authorities to get tested if you already haven’t, so the identification and treatment of patients could become possible. If you are based in Chicago, you can get tested at ChicagoCovidTest.com.
