The sudden onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the normal course of life. Among its various effects, the pandemic created the most severe disruption to the education industry and brought learning to a screeching halt. According to UNESCO, the school closures meant to contain contamination had put 1.6 billion students out of the schooling system in 190 countries across the globe at the height of the pandemic. The closure of educational institutes also had a negative impact on the lives of over 100 million teachers and school personnel across the world.

School closures across the world have not only led to the loss of academic year but also put a big question mark on the future of an entire generation of youth. Research shows that about 24 million children are facing the risk of dropouts from the education system. Additionally, school closures have also jeopardised years of progress made in terms of gender equality, sexual exploitation, forced marriages, etc. particularly amongst the vulnerable section of the population

Pandemic and technological disruption in education 

However, things are not all gloomy and dark. One of the few positive impacts that the pandemic has created on the education industry, is that it has brought the focus back on online learning. Across the world, governments and educational institutes have used school closures as an opportunity to apply disruptive digital technologies to facilitate education and learning amongst students.

However, it does not mean that blended learning and the application of technologies in the education sector, did not have a potential before the pandemic. On the contrary, it was already projected prior to the pandemic, that the market for online education would be worth $350 billion by 2025. Companies like Pixel solutionz, have long been offering e-learning solutions and integrated learning management systems, to facilitate technology enabled learning.

So why are we talking about the pandemic induced digital disruption in the education sector?

This is because the pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transition. Whether we are talking about virtual tutoring, online learning, learning management system (LMS), video conferencing, or any other digital technologies,there has been a significant uptake in the usage post the pandemic.

So, what next?

At present countries across the world are at different points in terms of Covid-19 infection rate. However, as countries across the globe slowly open up to a post-pandemic world and there is return of semblance of normalcy, the question arises as to what the future of education will look like? To be more precise, will digital learning continue to shape the education market in the post-pandemic world?

Well, there are several versions and alternative viewpoints to this question. Some believe that the sudden pandemic induced jump to online learning will create a negative user experience- thus acting as a major roadblock to its sustained growth. In contrast, others believe that it will slowly open the doors to blended learning, where teachers use a combination of online and offline learning to impart knowledge to students.

While there can be debate about this, one thing that can be said with certainty, is that the pandemic has undoubtedly demonstrated the potential of digital technologies in the educational sector. Research has already demonstrated that students can learn faster (40%-60% less time) and retain more (25%-60% more) by learning through online platforms.

However, there are still issues that need to be plugged in to make online learning more ubiquitous. One third of the student population across the globe do not have access to the requisite technology to facilitate online learning. So, going ahead, universal access to technologies will become a must to plug the digital divide and facilitate learning in future.

What do you think?