UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON EDUCATION

Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Symbiosis International (Deemed University)

N. Sai Srijan, Amritanshu Pushkar, Seethamraju Jahnavi, Vansh Dhiren Ganatra,

Aradhya Srivastava, Shah Saakshi Mayur

Abstract:

The current outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic has gravely affected education systems
around the world. The stakeholders of such educational systems have transitioned to online
modes of education where it poses both benefits and challenges. This study aims to
understand the impact of Covid-19 on education and the subsequent shift to online education
and e-learning systems. Through primary and secondary data, this study helps us understand
the strengths and obstacles of the emergence of online education. We conclude that online
education has a lot of potential in enhancing education but requires collaboration and co-
operation among various stakeholders to succeed during the pandemic and further on.

Keywords: Covid-19, Online Education, Electronic Learning, Higher Education, Stakeholder

Analysis

1. Introduction

Coronavirus’s fatal and irresistible disease, also known as Covid-19, has profoundly
influenced the economies worldwide. This misfortune has likewise stirred up education
systems worldwide, and this dread is probably going to reverberate over the training and
instruction sphere internationally. The Coronavirus pandemic flare-up constrained numerous
schools and universities to stay closed briefly. It is said that the online method of education is
effectively open and can even reach all parts of the country, including far off regions.
This paper is a composition of aspects to assess if online education is a benefit or an affliction
from diverse stakeholders’ views in the current Pandemic. Respectively, different
stakeholders, for example, government and private associations, are making an equal
collaborative effort to help each other by organizing the current online stages and
applications and preparing instructors/educators to utilize these platforms and applications to
the ideal level. These e-learning models are born of the conventional teaching method with
the same equipment but better feasibility at more remote and accessible locations. The

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 revolution of bringing the internet to everyone’s reach has aggravated and boosted the
opportunities for Ed-Tech Industries to come into being. With the advent of Ed-Tech
industries and classes compulsorily shifting to these digital platforms, we all realize the
importance of the internet to make education accessible as it has always been.
The research profoundly shows various stakeholders’ commitment and service grid to boost
the odds of online education and accomplish advanced education establishments. Virtual
schools and educational program providers have specified the advantages of online learning;
however, most of the study area has been directed towards secondary and post-secondary
students. Subsequently, this research aims to comprehend stakeholders’ views of the
advantages and difficulties of schooling supplemental to online education for credit
recuperation.
However, regardless of the standardized innovations or plans being utilized to give online
education to all, a portion of the students will remain discounted during the present and
unavoidable circumstances because of various causes, such as neediness, poverty, migration,
family issues, etc. The education framework is bound to confront similar problems post-
coronavirus Pandemic.

2. Review of Literature: 

1. World Bank (2020) in its Report, “Beaten or Broken: Informality and COVID-19 in

South ASIA”1, predicted $400 billion loss to India in the education sector, in the longer run.
Moreover, World Bank in this report assessed how COVID-19 hit South Asia late but hard,
with sudden and steep economic impacts. The third chapter in the report assessed and
analysed the revenue loss, reduction in employment and incomes in the informal sector and
how this sector can generate funds digitally, which is critical for revamping the already shut
economy.

World Bank, (2020), South Asia Economic Focus, Fall 2020: Beaten or Broken? Informality and COVID-19. Washington,
DC: World Bank. © World Bank. License: CC BY 3.0 IGO https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34517

Page 2 of 26
2. Callan (2010)2 and Garrison (2011)3, in their reports provided countless advantages of

online education including access to global resources and materials, facilities like self-pacing
for slow and quick learners (thereby increasing self-satisfaction and retention) and improving
the overall quality of teaching and learning, with students allowed to learn with flexible
timings.

3. Another research from Wagner, Hassanein and Head (2006)4 talked about different

impacts on online mode of education on key stakeholders. Students, being mostly excited for
the user experience enhancement and the absorption of contemporary skills of learning.
Instructors on the other hand, have found this method of education ‘difficult’. With surveys
stating that instructors spent almost twice the time preparing themselves, in comparison, to
the traditional knowledge delivery system; with many instructors still reluctant to shift to this
mode, having additional workload. Moreover, Institutions in the same research were also
found to be in dilemma as shift to newer and contemporary mode required more budgetary
expansions and technological upgrades, with more support and IT staffs, requirement of a
decent bandwidth, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and technology equipped
classrooms and faculties, resulted in overall quadrupling the initial cost of education delivery
through the traditional blackboard method.

4. Online Education in its various modes has been growing steadily worldwide due to

the confluence of new technologies, global adoption of the internet, and intensifying demand

Callan, V. J., Bowman, K., & Framework, A. F. L. (2010). Sustaining E-Learning Innovations: A Review of the Evidence
and Future Directions: Final Report, November 2010, Australia Flexible Learning Framework, 1-37,
https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:227750

Garrison, D., (2011), E-Learning in the 21 st century: A framework for research and practice, second edition, E-learning in
the 21st century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Second Edition 1-166 DOI: 10.4324/9780203838761

Wagner, N., Hassanein, K., & Head, M. (2006). E-Learning in Higher Education: A Stakeholders’ Analysis.
28th International Conference on Information Technology Interfaces, 2006., 307–312.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ITI.2006.1708497

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 for a workforce trained periodically for the ever-evolving digital economy. Online Education
is on track to become mainstream by 2025. (Palvia et al., 2018)5

5. Gillet-Swan (2017)6 states that the online environment presents challenges for many

students as well as academic staff who interestingly require higher levels of technological
competency and proficiency on the top of their regular academic workload. There is also a
severe impact on student teacher engagement due to online mode which affects the pedagogy.
Apart from existing challenges, external or isolated learner faces issues related to access,
support, engagement, and community.

6. While online tests are often poorly designed and are predominantly used in the

assessment of low-level thinking, they can be used effectively to assess twenty-first century
learning, particularly but not exclusively in the foundational knowledge domain. Online tests
can be designed to align with the concept of powerful assessment through selecting the
format of the questions, the cognitive level of the questions, and the philosophical approach
embedded in the task design that are fit for purpose and focused on authentic contexts. For
example, this may be through using a case study approach, targeting cognitive engagement
beyond the level of recall, and providing opportunities for group or peer learning around the
online test to align with a constructivist philosophy. (Boitshwarelo, Reedy, and Billany,
2017)7

Palvia, S., Aeron, P., Gupta, P., Mahapatra, D., Parida, R., Rosner, R., & Sindhi, S. (2018). Online Education:
Worldwide Status, Challenges, Trends, and Implications. Journal of Global Information Technology
Management, 21(4), 233–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/1097198x.2018.1542262

Gillett-Swan, J. (2017). The Challenges of Online Learning: Supporting and Engaging the Isolated Learner.
Journal of Learning Design, 10(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.5204/jld.v9i3.293

Boitshwarelo, B., Reedy, A. K., & Billany, T. (2017). Envisioning the use of online tests in assessing twenty-
first century learning: a literature review. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(1), 1.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-017-0055-7

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 7. while online tests are
often poorly designed
8. and are predominantly
used in the assessment
of low-level thinking,
they can be used
9. effectively to assess
twenty-first century
learning, particularly
but not exclusively in
the
10. foundational
knowledge domain.
Online tests can be
designed to align with
the concept
11. of powerful
assessment through
selecting the format of

Page 5 of 26
 the questions, the
cognitive
12. level of the
questions, and the
philosophical approach
embedded in the task
design that
13. are fit for purpose
and focused on
authentic contexts. For
example, this may be
14. through using a
case study approach,
targeting cognitive
engagement beyond the
level
15. of recall, and
providing opportunities
for group or peer

Page 6 of 26
 learning around the
online test
16. to align with a
constructivist
philosophy.
17. while online tests
are often poorly
designed
18. and are
predominantly used in
the assessment of low-
level thinking, they can
be used
19. effectively to
assess twenty-first
century learning,
particularly but not
exclusively in the
20. foundational
knowledge domain.

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 Online tests can be
designed to align with
the concept
21. of powerful
assessment through
selecting the format of
the questions, the
cognitive
22. level of the
questions, and the
philosophical approach
embedded in the task
design that
23. are fit for purpose
and focused on
authentic contexts. For
example, this may be
24. through using a
case study approach,
targeting cognitive

Page 8 of 26
 engagement beyond the
level
25. of recall, and
providing opportunities
for group or peer
learning around the
online test
26. to align with a
constructivist
philosophy.
3. Research Methodology: 

Descriptive research was carried out through primary and secondary data to understand the
impacts online education has had on different stakeholders. Both quantitative and qualitative
data were collected to ensure accurate findings. A survey and an interview were conducted to
gather primary data, understand the concepts further, and confirm the reasons behind any
findings.

The survey was conducted online through google forms, and the convenience sampling
method was used to reach students easily and practically when colleges were not open. The
survey included trichotomous-scale and 4-5-point Likert scale questions. The interview
helped gather qualitative data and answers on the impact of online education on educational
governance.

4. Objectives: 

1. To understand the impact of Covid-19 vis-à-vis online Education on Students,

Teachers, Educational Businesses, and Governance through descriptive research.

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2. To understand what online education is and its methods.
3. To recommend ways to enhance online education and overcome their challenges.

5. Research Methods:

The research was based on primary data collected from the survey conducted on university
going students. Data were collected from 93 students in the form of a questionnaire. An
interview was also conducted with the director of Finance and Administration of STIR
Education, an international NGO that supports Educational Systems in India and Uganda.

Secondary data was also collected from various sources, including research papers, journals,
and articles from multiple national dailies, including all the incorporated statistics.

6. Findings and Discussions:

6.1 Impact on students

The COVID 19 Pandemic and subsequent closure of schools and educational institutions
worldwide have adverse effects on students’ mental health across the globe. An online survey
on the impact of school reopening, during the Pandemic, on children’s mental health, under
the age of 25, by the Young Minds Charity in the UK found that the number of students who
agreed that their schools decreased mental health support given to students compared to
before the Pandemic (23%) was more than those who disagreed. (9%)

A systematic screening process of children in schools has been recommended by Dowdy, et.
Al. (2015)8 to increase effective support services. Such methods help students adapt to
challenges to their mental health, like worries arising out of the Pandemic and whether they
will be able to attend classes online or offline.

Dowdy, E., Furlong, M., Raines, T. C., Bovery, B., Kauffman, B., Kamphaus, R. W., Dever, B. V., Price, M.,
& Murdock, J. (2014). Enhancing School-Based Mental Health Services With a Preventive and Promotive
Approach to Universal Screening for Complete Mental Health. Journal of Educational and Psychological
Consultation, 25(2–3), 178–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2014.929951

Page 10 of 26
India had witnessed a growing demand for e-learning even before the Pandemic hit. As stated
by Palvia et. Al. (2018), online education is seeing an upward trend in all parts of the world.
MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses), Online Portals, and digital tools are promoted,
despite its challenges like difficulty to access online education due to lack of ICT
infrastructure. India can leverage improvements in technology and innovations in education
models to enhance its status as an e-learning country further.

Boitshwarelo et. Al. (2017) stated how 21 st Century learning requires innovation in the usage
of technology in assessment and testing. Despite posing challenges such as the prevalence of
cheating, logistical difficulties, low quality of questions, and lack of accessibility, it provides
benefits such as a teacher’s ability to give immediate feedback, scalability of the tests, and
potential to go beyond rote learning/foundational knowledge and assessing critical thinking
(meta-knowledge).

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed the unpreparedness of education systems, infrastructure,
educators and learners of online education, and adult literacy programmes’ fragility. It hit
hardest to those who were already marginalized, including 773 million non-literate adults
and young people – two-thirds of whom are women, and 617 million children and
adolescents who were failing to acquire basic reading and numeracy skills even before the
crisis, according to ‘Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond: The
role of educators and changing pedagogies.’9

The UNESCO COVID-19 Education Response report 10 presents UNESCO’s findings, which
estimates the number of learners not returning to school due to COVID-19. This report
suggests that where online or distance education isn’t effective, learners may become
9

UNESCO, (2020, September 15), Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond at heart
of the International Literacy Day, Retrieved on https://en.unesco.org/news/literacy-teaching-and-learning-covid-
19-crisis-and-beyond-heart-international-literacy-day

10

UNESCO. (2020). UNESCO COVID-19 Education Response. United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/in/documentViewer.xhtml?
v=2.1.196&id=p::usmarcdef_0000373992&file=/in/rest/annotationSVC/DownloadWatermarkedAttachment/atta
ch_import_5b075951-5390-4056-9935-4163d073d5f1%3F_
%3D373992eng.pdf&locale=en&multi=true&ark=/ark:/48223/pf0000373992/PDF/373992eng.pdf#%5B%7B
%22num%22%3A25%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D
%2C63%2C777%2C0%5D

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disinterested in education. Tertiary Education is affected the most with an estimated decline
of 3.5% in enrolment, followed by pre-primary education at a 2.8% decline in enrolment.
Students living in poverty and marginalisation are affected the most.

6.2 Impact on Third-Party Educational Institutions

The slew to an online platform to foster learning was easy for the applications that were
already based online. With expert faculty and the latest technology, they gained wider reach,
acquiring more consumers amidst this Pandemic. BYJU’S, The Learning App with 50 million
registrations and 3.5 million paid subscriptions, has gained ₹2,800 Crore in the year 2020, of
which ₹350 Crore was of the April month – the first phase of the nationwide lockdown.
Unacademy that witnessed massive growth during the lockdown is another archetype.
Unacademy’s increase for April was said to break all its previous records concerning views
on YouTube, revenue, tests taken, etc. It has witnessed a growth of 82% in revenue from the
last month (March 2020), and it was ten times higher than April 2019.

6.3 Impact on Businesses

Many learning platforms offer an initial week, free of cost, in response to the demand surge.
According to a survey by ET, there has been a sharp surge by 30% in the demands for new
broadband connections since the lockdown till September. Nashik alone added 40,000 new
connections. Connection providers have good enough reasons to charge exorbitantly high
when demand grew drastically with supplies remaining limited.

The only business suffering is school education taking a severe hit with no plausible solution
in sight. According to a report from World Bank: Beaten or Broken, Informality and COVID-
19 in South Asia, 391 million children have been kept out of schools across the South Asian
region, mostly from Government-run schools, struggling to shift to the online mode of
education. With schools having a halt to revenue earning, parents are equally reluctant to pay
the fees in advance, which might bring in a loss for the country of $622 billion in the longer
run.

6.4 Impact on Ed-Tech Industries

With the closure of Schools and Institutions, our Ed-Tech industries accepted the very
responsibility to teach and train our young minds. Research by UK Professionals stated that
children learn better if taught in their mother tongue, so we have educational institutions with
a solution ready with subtitles, crossing all technical barriers to provide learning in 8 different
Indian languages.

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These industries provide you with recorded classes giving an edge over conventional
blackboard teaching. However, access to e-resources anywhere anytime will make the
students lazy, gradually making them more dependent on such materials instead of taking
down notes and listening attentively. Advancements in the field of AI and IoT will continue
to enhance user experience with more student-friendly interfaces making such platforms
chosen by many institutions. Support and funds from the government lead to further growth
of such Industries. Data sourced from Omidyar Network India backs up the analysis that
India’s Ed-tech market is predicted to grow by 120% to reach $1.7 billion by the end of the
year from the initial $735 million in March. Such platforms, which are already advantageous
when coupled with online competition, scholarships, and reskilling, add fuel to the fire when
introducing online certification courses like MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) – edX,
Coursera, etc. They help foster the all-round development of a child economically.

6.5 Impact on Teachers

The impact of traditional learning cannot be channelled through screens. Student engagement
has become the most challenging aspect of this new normal. It has become extremely difficult
for teachers to keep the attention span of the students for hours. Teachers who are not adept
with technical skills find it challenging, and often the purpose of teaching is lost amidst this
chaos. Grading students has never been more challenging. Co-curricular activities are not
being included in the schedules, affecting the holistic development of the student.

Additionally, a disturbance in the institutes’ revenue cycles and the delay in payment of
tuition fees due to lockdown has propelled the institutes to either reduce salaries or remove
faculty that is not well-versed with technology. According to the Center for Monitoring
Indian Economy, over 6.6 million white-collar professional jobs were lost from May till
August 2020, out of which teachers were of significant numbers. Teachers were given the
additional burden to have electronic applications and equipment arranged out of their
expenses if the institute could not. All this has drastically affected teachers mentally, with
more than 6 hours on an average spent on the screen. Packed schedules have made their lives
even more stressful.

6.6 Impact on Governance

The development and introduction of e-learning have expanded in the current education
framework. The Indian government has started a ton of e-learning programs in a profoundly
advanced and efficient way with the direction of driving universities like IIT’s and IIM’s.

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However, online education comes with its set of obstacles wherein learning in subjects
requiring physical presence is hindered. In any case, because of extreme changes in teaching
patterns due to the Pandemic, students’ discipline and perspective about e-learning have been
disturbed and the government needs to guarantee that we accomplish the objective of
inculcating an online learning environment.

India, being one of the 135 countries where the Right to Education is a fundamental right, has
been severely affected by the Pandemic that has forced educational institutions to embrace
the online medium of education since the traditional style of brick and mortar education is
impossible. This has led to the government framing key policies that will shape the education
industry in India with online education being the centre-piece of these new policies.
The Union Cabinet of India on 29th July 2020, approved a new ‘National Education Policy’
in light of COVID-19, with a predominant focus on online education. To put this into
perspective, the last revision of NEP was in 1992, with the latest NEP allowing universities to
offer fully online degrees for the first time, which earlier was only 20 percent of a degree
being offered for online education considering the quality of education, with the existing
framework. The Government of India has also started a program called SWAYAM which
offers MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), the objective of which is to collate teaching
materials and provide free courses covering every area of knowledge, from curriculums of
law to computer science in order to bridge the digital divide between the fortunate and
underprivileged. In pursuit of education and making India digital, the initiatives taken by the
MHRD assist students, teachers, professors, and scholars. An extensive initiative called ‘PM
E-Vidya’ intends to bring together all endeavours identified with online/on the
web/live/digital mode of instruction and empower impartial multi-mode admittance to train.
Setting up an advanced internet framework in India, the government has likewise dispatched
the Public Optical Fiber Organization. The fundamental target of this activity is for the
increment of broadband availability and to make adequate course structures available to
varied age groups. The government has begun the Online Public Advanced Library in which
17 million computerized books and diaries are accessible. The government is also tying up
with colleges and universities by which students can acquire credit through online courses.
The principal goal of this activity is to give quality education to every individual learner.

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6.7 Survey Findings
Q1. What has been your experience so far of Online Education during the Pandemic?

As shown in Figure 1, 38.1% of the respondents

have had an average experience of Online
Education. Only 7.9% of the respondents had an
excellent experience, indicating that there is scope
for improvement.

Figure 1
Q2. Do you have access to the devices which you require for online education?

As shown in Figure 2, 88.9% of the respondents have

access to electronic devices, 11.1% have to share those
devices, and no respondent said they do not have access.
Although there is a high percentage of access to these
devices, we need to consider that the respondents were
contacted online. The number of students who do not
have access to devices might be higher in the student
population.

Q3. Do you have access to high-

speed/uninterrupted internet at home? Figure 2
Do you face any network difficulties?

As shown in Figure 3, Almost half of

all respondents face internet issues.
This hinders online learning and
further demotivates students. 3.2% of

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respondents do not have access to high-speed internet at all and are left out of the learning
curve. It is important to note that such is the case with respondents studying in urban cities.
Rural and semi-rural penetration of the internet is another challenge.

Q4. Have your schools/universities/educational institutions helped provide resources for

online education?

Q5. Do you agree that teachers/professors need more training to teach online?
Q6. Do you think Online Education is more effective than traditional classroom education?

Figure 5 Figure 4

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As Shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, help has not been adequately provided by colleges and
universities; more than half of the respondents agree that teachers need more training, and
more than 3/4th respondents think online education is ineffective.

Q7. Do you feel stressed or demotivated about

the transition to Online modes of education
since the Covid-19 Pandemic?
Q8. Do you agree that Online Education
creates a gap between interaction among peers
and teachers?
Q9. How helpful have your
teachers/professors been to cope with the
challenges of Online Education
Figure 6

As shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, students

are stressed about online education, they
think interaction has been reduced and a
gap has been created and they feel that they
are not receiving any help from teachers,
professors and their institutions.

Figure 8

Figure 7

Figure 9

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 As shown in Figure 10, More than 90% of
the respondents know others who might
face issues due to the transition to online
education. Such is the case in Urban Areas
itself. In rural areas the numbers might be
higher.

Figure 10
6.8 Interview Findings

Conduction of an interview with the professional in the field has given us a sphere to enhance
our research and understand the impact of online education on its stakeholders. STiR
Education is an organisation with a vision to make a “A world where every child develops a
love of lifelong learning”. STiR’s mission is to thrive, where children must be ready to
continually seek, process, act and reflect on new information. Children must believe in
supporting education systems to reignite intrinsic motivation in every teacher and official, to
role-model the foundations of lifelong learning for each child.

Covid-19 continues to cause enormous disruption to education systems everywhere. while

children, teachers, system officials have now settled into a period of relative stability, there
still had been a substantial impact that this crisis has had in recent months. The impact of
Covid-19 has also given them opportunities to innovate and carry out new approaches as the
present situation demands. All geographies, it’s been easier to have interaction with senior
officials who are unable to arrange to in-person activities in pre-Covid times but have more
flexibility to attend activities remotely. This is a valuable learning for STiR to step into the
recovery phase as these stakeholders will play a key role within the long-term sustainability
of the work of the organisation, and continue experimenting with virtual delivery of other
activities too. Bringing content remotely makes it easier for the organisation to scale to new
districts within our existing geographies, as we don't need governments to supply the costs of
printing handbooks and holding network meetings. STiR has designed a curriculum which is
explicitly designed to satisfy the wants of teachers during this pandemic. The topics are
selected to confirm that teachers are prepared to satisfy the wants of learners returning after a

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 protracted period outside of faculty. To understand the foremost important things here to be
are:

• The promotion of safety (both from Covid-19, and being emotionally able to return to
learning).

• Effective checking for understanding (to understand any learning gaps that will have
developed).

• Breaking down learning (to support teachers to handle these gaps through their instruction).

• Building teacher belief in their ability to make change at now (starting with Growth
Mindset).

7. Conclusion:

One thing that can be taken away from this paper is that Education affects a lot of people and
not just students in general. Tough times like these require stakeholders to collaborate and
cooperate. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought traditional learning to screens. From
examinations to interviews, quotidian aspects of schools/universities are online. It has
accelerated the ascent of online education and acted as a catalyst in the growth of Ed-tech
businesses. However, it is challenging for institutions with limited resources or someone who
is not technologically adept. The survey conducted by us revealed that even in urban areas a
lot of people face difficulty adjusting to the online system of education. Even with all the
prerequisite equipment and knowledge; attention span of students has been problematic.

The government has come up with frameworks and policies which ensure that the quality of
education is provided while also increasing the social credibility of these online degrees.
However, these need to be improved and enhanced. It is important to acknowledge that online
and traditional methods have their own unique advantages. Ergo, online education has a great
potential to grow but requires collaborative effort from all stakeholders.

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8. Recommendations:

In the 21st century, online education is entering as the standard way of learning and turning
into a developing business sector. It keeps on growing admittance for a larger number of
students. To overcome certain flaws and ensure effective impact of online education, proper
planning of online courses is indispensable. It is incredibly important to inculcate an online
learning environment in the e-system. Accessibility of e-learning is a major concern and due
attention should be paid by ensuring the availability of modern devices and uninterrupted
network. Incentives for educational businesses should be given by the government. Mental
health of students and teachers is of utmost importance and it should be taken into
consideration. Regular surveys should be conducted to screen the students and teachers and
understand the impact of e-education on them. It should also be verified that the degrees
conferred by online institutions are as credible and reputable as those conferred by
conventional institutes. The government needs to initiate more low-cost online education
initiatives and reduce the hindrance in e-learning to increase social credibility of this potent
learning method.

9. Limitations and Future Scope:

A paucity of time and resources due to the pandemic posed a challenge to the study. Further
research can be conducted when the current situation subsides. Another limitation was in
terms of the survey conducted, which included 93 students consisting of only university
going students in urban areas. The survey was conducted online. Thus, penetration of the
survey to reach samples that do not have access to the internet or electronic devices is low.

There is future scope for this paper as the survey conducted was on Graduate students at
Symbiosis Law School, Pune. The survey can be improved by physically contacting students
who do not have adequate access to the internet and similar technical resources in rural areas.
The survey can also be conducted on school-going children to better understand their attitude
towards the new shift into online education; further, the survey could be conducted on
employees of different ed-tech start-ups and teachers/professors of various colleges as well.

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10. References:

Abbas, M. (2020, April 27). Wired broadband data surges by 25-30% amid lockdown: Crisil.
Economic Times, Retrieved from https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/wired-
broadband-data-surges-by-25-30-amid-lockdown-crisil/75404774
Banarjee, P. (2020, September). EdTech Market Is Booming In India. Businessworld.Com.
Retrieved from http://www.businessworld.in/article/EdTech-Market-Is-Booming-In-
India-/20-09-2020 322696/#:~:text=Data%20sourced%20from%20Omidyar%20Network,the
%20end%20of%20the%20year
Bansal, S. (2017, July 13). How India’s ed-tech sector can grow and the challenges it must
overcome. VCCircle. https://www.vccircle.com/the-present-and-future-of-indias-online-
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11. Annexure

Student Survey

Q1. What has been your experience so far of Online Education during the Pandemic?
• Excellent
• Good
• Average
• Bad
• Worst
Q2. Do you have access to the devices which you require for Online Education?
• Yes
• Yes, but I have to share with others.
• No
Q3. Do you have access to high speed/uninterrupted internet at home? Do you face any
network difficulty?
• Yes, No Difficulty.
• Yes, but I face internet issues.
• No
Q4. Have your schools/universities/educational institutions helped provide resources for
online education?
• Yes
• Somewhat
• No
Q5. Do you agree that teachers/professors need more training to teach online?
• Strongly Agree

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 • Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

Q6. Do you think Online Education is more effective than traditional classroom education?
• Yes
• No
• Maybe/Not Sure
Q7. Do you feel stressed or demotivated about the transition to Online modes of education
since the Covid-19 Pandemic?
• Yes
• Somewhat
• No
Q8. Do you agree that Online Education creates a gap between interaction among peers and
teachers?
• Agree
• Disagree
Q9. How helpful have your teachers/professors been to cope with the challenges of Online
Education
• Very Helpful
• Moderately Helpful
• Slightly Helpful
• Not at all helpful
Q10. Can you think of any students/friends or professors who might face difficulty due to the
transition to Online Education? How Many?
• 1-3
• 3-5
• More than 5
• None

Interview Questions (Ms. Anamika Srivastava – STIR Education Director, Finance and
Administration)
Q1. What is the role of STIR education? How has the Pandemic changed it?

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Q2. How are teachers coping up with the shift to online education? What challenges do they
face?

Q3. What are the difficulties faced in conducting examinations and grading students?

Q4. Is online education fostering the holistic development of children?

Q5. How can co-circular be included along with academics in online classes?

Q6. How are the digital divide and lack of technical knowledge among students and teachers
affecting education?

Q7. What changes can we expect in the education system post Covid-19?

Q8. How are the present policies and circumstances affecting the online education system?

Q9. In your opinion, is online education a boon or a bane?

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