How has pandemic changed the education system in Bhutan

Education is inevitable even during the time of crises like covid-19, thus the need to teach students at different level of intuition is also important. Amidst pandemic, educators around the world have adopted a new technique of teaching that is with the use of various virtual learning application and tools. The COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally over 1.2 billion children are out of classroom.  This is why education fraternity across the world and also in Bhutan has adopted this new method of teaching student virtually, reducing the risk of virus transmission while also keeping the students safe at home. Classrooms are empty, students are active with virtual applications and teachers are putting extra efforts for a wonderful virtual learning environment.

Across Bhutan classrooms are empty at this point of time, teaching has stopped since long due to pandemic. Most students are not keen on online learning yet they are asked to adhere to it as there is no way that they can take classes other than online class. Parents are unhappy as they have to buy phones and gadgets for their children’s education and so far this has never been a situation, everything was smooth with some amount of money for the school fee and dress for student, but now the pandemic has surged to a next level and the need to take online classes has made it compulsory for caregivers and parents to buy their children a smart phone.

Students are now engaged with virtual platforms such as VLE and zoom, where they take classes. There the face to face interaction takes place in every day basis, but it is never the same as traditional classroom teaching. That is why many students are not interested in this sort of teaching as they have to spend a huge amount of money for data to use internet and the cost of the same is also very high. There are number of cases in which students dropped out due to the many reasons mentioned above. Because of the disruption by the pandemic, some 317 students from class 9 to 12 did not return to school after it resumed in July.

Despite teachers making efforts to engage students effectively, students has not shown their outmost efforts in combating this crises, there is no effort from both the side that is why many people dropped out this very year. There is shut down of many companies and many retailers had to run out of losses without the costumers to buy. This pandemic has caused many people bad than good and most of it is, education department is the most affected since there are more students in educational institute across the country.

Basu Dev Acharja