The world is under the siege of pandemic and its devastation across the globe has alarmed the whole of humanity. Currently, the whole world is lock-downed.
All the activities range from ordinary work to the global economic market that has been ceased by the spread of contagion. However, the outbreak of coronavirus across the world has threatened the liberal theory of “Capitalism”.
That theory was introduced by Adam Smith in the last quarter of the 18th century. Followers of his ideology have witnessed the era of great prosperities and rule over the world.
The US and European Nations have experienced bulge in different fields like the Industrial, Agriculture, Banking, and the educational sectors as well. These nations have some top world universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Pennsylvania that have changed the whole educational system.
Similarly, these nations during the remote past era have witnessed many pandemics. Later, their discoveries helped them in fighting against pandemics that had been emerged in the aftermath of their outbreak.
Therefore, incumbent human civilization is witnessing the newly emerged coronavirus that has affected the whole world. It has leveled enormous pressure on the education system in Western as well as Eastern states.
However, students of universities, colleges, and schools have been refrained from their right to education by a coronavirus.
The effects of that pandemic on students in the west are cursory glance below
Financial Impact on Students
One of the crucial impacts that the virus has leveled on students is chalk off of financial support. According to statistical data of reports, approximately 20 million people have lost their jobs owing to lock-down in New York after this outbreak.
However, loss of the source of earning may compel parents to refrain their children from enrolling in universities and colleges. Similarly, those students who have already been enrolled in educational institutions will hardly continue their education.
It has also been predicted that 15% enrolment will be reduced and that will also cause loss of huge revenue for private educational institutions.
Impacts on Foreign Students
Other than indigenous students, foreign students are on the verge of savages of the pandemic. Enormous students from different developing, as well as developed countries like China, India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, etc, are currently in Europe and the US, and their main means of earning have been vanquished in the aftermath of continuous lock-down.
However, they pay their education fairs through earning but today they are under severe pressure and may discontinue their education. There is a huge percentage of foreign students that may leave abroad and will never come back.
Digital Education and Corona Virus
In the post-modern era, when we are interconnected with the latest technology and can work more expeditiously than ever, these all achievements collapse betwixt the outbreak of the pandemic.
Today the schools, colleges, and universities are commencing online classes for students but during crises, the unprecedented issue has emerged with that digitalization.
Students in developing countries, as well as developed countries, are witnessing the uneven occupation of technology. Many institutions have reported a low percentage of attendance in online classes, approximately 50 percent of students remained to log out from online classes, or even they did not check their e-mail.
Therefore, the main reasons for backing these problems are numerous but the most crucial is the lack of internet service. In the United States, students in areas like Ohio, Taxes, and others, have no excess to the internet and they do not have enough resources owing to the loss of parent’s jobs.
Similarly, online classes need a strong network but qualities in these areas are persistently not adequate to meet the requirement. Other than that, students who were working on daily wages are now out of the capital to purchase network service.
Restrictions on Immigration
Another issue that may emerge on the screen is the restriction on immigration of students in American and European states. Currently, almost all states have restricted the movement of people, including businessmen, students, sovereigns, etc, beyond the border.
It is unclear how long the pandemic will remain and will foreign students be allowed to enroll in these countries? This question is crucial and must be tackled with durable measures because many developing countries send their students on scholarship in these developed countries.
However, restrictions on these students will bring gruesome consequences in the aftermath of the pro-long continuation of the pandemic.
Disturbance in the Education Cycle
Normally, we make policies regarding the examination and admission criteria of enrolment. Usually, these policies are carried out with little spike. But now it has become blatantly clear that these policies are going to be drastically changed because of the lock-down.
The lock-down will delay everything in the educational system even the criteria of admission too. The private sector is witnessing a huge chunk in revenue. And as per expectations, these institutions will drastically change their policies towards students.
However, delay in exams and enrollment of new students is inevitable but there are other things that are likely to be changed. Therefore, some universities may remove test criteria to enroll as much as possible students to meet their losses.
Similarly, in the case of continuation of the pandemic, will new students take admission or incumbent students continue to pay higher charges for online classes?
These institutions may surge their educational dues and there are enormous chances that student will leave their education in such circumstances.
Conclusion
Summing up the aforementioned discussion, we should have to acknowledge that the go-it-alone strategy will not bring fruitful outcomes. We need solidarity beyond the continents to topple down this vicious pandemic.
This has halted every activity or every sector of the world. Dubbing pandemic as “Chinese virus” or reprisal allegations will not help in mitigating the crises.
The international milieu has currently alluded with the wrangles of populist leaders. In the meantime, they should also take the education system under their discussion.
These educational institutions are the backbone of the economy and search. The recent allocation of emergency funds by President Trump is quite a huge amount but the education sector has received a little.
However, that amount for a crucial sector is too low but during crises, institutions must corporate with states and students. After all, high time solidarity is needed between the pillars of states to cope with the crises with a full heart
Teaching Assistant at eRozgaar Training Program Pakistan. A Proud Graduate Engineer working as a Content Writer in Freelance Marketplace.
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