Journal of English Language Teaching

Coping with Covid19-based Disruptions in Educational Institutions

Dr. Chandrasekharan Praveen

Principal- in-charge, Institute of Advanced Study in Education, Thrissur, Kerala

Keywords: Disruption in education, institutional leaders, Covid-19 pandemic, online teaching

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Abstract

In developed countries like the US, there are agencies to tackle disasters which minimize disruption and ensure continuity of the learning environments such as the Campus Resilience (CR) Program. The absence of such agencies in India has evoked a sense of urgency in institutions of learning and many are now struggling to cope with ways of addressing the disruption of academic activities owing to the Covid19 pandemic. The disruption in delivery of instruction has prompted actions from the flagship of school and college education in India. The NCERT, for instance, is assiduously planning a social distancing-cum-individualistic teaching and assessment plan. The UGC has given directives to universities to commence new academic sessions only from September instead of June and explore online teaching. How will such changes in view of the Covid shutdown affect the functioning of educational institutions? How successful will plans for online instruction be, given the digital divide existing among institutions as well as students? This article reviews the current educational scene, which affects institutional leaders, teachers, and students and proposes ways of overcoming the current unprecedented state of affairs. A feasible plan of action is proposed which could be implemented by institutional leaders. The article concludes with the affirmation that all planning can succeed only through continuous monitoring and review.

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