On several important sectors, the ongoing Covid issue has had a long-term impact. One of those essentials is education. Since Chaitra 2076, all educational institutions have been shuttered. No pupil has physically shown up to school in the past 17 months. After the lockdown was implemented, the majority of public, private, and community institutions made the decision to immediately begin offering online courses.
As a result, concerns have been raised about the viability and efficacy of an online education system in a nation like Nepal by critics and academics. In our country, where the development of communications and electrical infrastructures is still a matter of issue in many sections of the country, online education is definitely a subject of struggle.
The effectiveness of online learning and teaching has long been debated. Many educational institutions’ administrative teams are now stepping up to provide physical classes. The alternate approach to teaching and learning was less successful than we had anticipated. It is true that we cannot continue to lose money on the education of our children, who will stand as the foundation of the country. Running the physical classes according to Covid standards and engaging in physical distance exercises has become essential. But most significantly, pupils should receive adequate and priority vaccinations.
It’s time to get up and return to our usual educational practices, naturally bringing the “new normal” with us. Additionally, experts have hypothesized that prolonged use of electronics and displays by pupils may impair their ability to see and think clearly. They have been adamant that you pick up your physical education lessons again.
Various local level administration and municipalities inside and outside the valley have been finding ways, consulting experts to reopen educational institutions physically and some have already resumed their classes. For instance, Education Committee of Gokarneshwor Municipality, Kathmandu has given permission to run both government and private schools with proper precautions and following Covid-19 health protocols looking at the infrastructures of educational institutions from Bhadra 15, 2078.
Many local governments, both inside and outside the valley, have been looking for solutions and consulting specialists to physically restore educational facilities; some have even started holding courses again. For instance, the Gokarneshwor Municipality Education Committee in Kathmandu has approved the operation of both public and private schools as long as they take the necessary safety precautions and adhere to the Covid-19 health guidelines, taking into account the infrastructure of educational institutions as of Bhadra 15, 2078.
Similar to this, the District Covid Crisis Management Committee in Dhanusha has also chosen to offer physical education programs to pupils in grades 6 and up.
A conference was also held by Biratnagar Metropolitan City with experts and stakeholders, and the topic of discussion was how to restart educational institutions and hold traditional courses. A seven-person group has been established to create a working plan for managing and operating colleges and schools. Krishna Bhattarai, an education officer with the Biratnagar, Morang-based Education Administration Office, will serve as the team’s coordinator.
