The Covid-19 has changed many of our routines. For most students, this has had a significant impact, affecting their performance, but also their motivation.
The situation experienced during the confinement has exposed social and economic inequalities. Many students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who lacked the necessary resources to continue with online classes, have seen their performance reduced and have important knowledge gaps, which can lead them to fail at school.
Many families live in small flats, and students did not have a quiet environment to study. Besides, there is the stress of having a sick relative or a bad economic situation, as in many cases, the parents had lost their jobs.
For students who were going to change cycles, especially those who were going to start university, this crisis has come at a particularly difficult moment. Most of those who had planned to study outside their city or in another country have either postponed or discarded this possibility.
Students who have tried to continue their studies online report severe shortcomings in the quality of teaching, such as teachers’ lack of skills in using digital platforms. But in many cases, there is also a lack of involvement and empathy from teachers, schools and institutions in general.
The uncertainty and lack of clear information are taking its toll on young people’s state of mind. There are even 3% who are considering dropping out of school because of the crisis..
The future of education
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the shortcomings of the current education system. Many see it as an excellent opportunity to rethink the current education system. The change lies in developing students’ cognitive, social and emotional skills, which requires a very different approach to learning and teaching, and more trained and involved teachers.
According to the Education Outlook report OECD 2020 indicators. Spanish report “The challenge is to turn teaching into a profession of advanced knowledge workers who perform their role with great professional autonomy and within a culture of collaboration”. Priority must be given to participatory teaching methods and the preparation of teachers, which indicates a need to strengthen this aspect of their training.
OPEN EUROPE team
