OPINION: Online Learning Amidst a Pandemic
Trigger warning: This article mentions suicide.
Online education is already one of the learning modes for a long time, but it has recently been the only option since the pandemic began.
Although it may be the most convenient option for some, it became one of the underlying causes of students’ financial and mental troubles.
We were all forced into it throughout the pandemic without other choices.
Online classes can be very costly; they require each student to have at least one device in keeping pace with announcements and schoolwork.
But not everyone can afford that, especially now that the pandemic has left us all financially strained.
Many surveys, news, and studies documented a number of different concerns regarding online education.
One of the most serious issues is students’ emotional distress from online classes, which has resulted in suicides.
Suicide rates have skyrocketed since the outbreak of the pandemic, with online learning being the leading factor.
There are numerous news accounts about students and even teachers who committed suicide during the pandemic.
COVID 19 affected every one of us in different ways.
And being isolated and unable to keep ourselves occupied by the world took a toll on our mental health.
The first several months of the pandemic were unsettling, and they remain so to this day.
Most people have had to stay inside with their families.
And it can be great for some but not for those who live in toxic environments.
We can’t imagine how tough it is for them to cope while also worrying about what’s going on in the world and the people around them.
Dealing with all of these challenges is already too much to take.
So the announcement that education will resume online, dismayed and alarmed us.
It’s now almost two years since online education was implemented.
It was survivable for others and they managed to carry on to this day.
But still, it is undeniably a risky and thoughtless decision.
Many people have survived, but a lot more have suffered as a result of this terrible situation.
Online education was not well-thought-out, and there are still more factors to consider.
Not only the system is faulty, but some educators were also noted as anti-poor and indifferent to others’ circumstances.
However, we had no choice but to comply out of fear of falling behind and failing to finish on time alongside others.
If only do-overs are possible, this aspect could use proper planning.
It’s to avoid these grave consequences, and, to ensure that no more lives are harmed in addition to the many ones already lost as a result of the virus.
