An Outlook on the State of Education in India During and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

One of the world’s longest school closures was implemented by the Indian government as it battled the COVID-19 epidemic’s repeated waves. These school closings have brought to light the differences in the usage of online learning tools between urban and rural populations, as well as between men and women.

India’s abysmal academic performance has been made worse by the COVID-19 epidemic, which has caused schools to be shuttered since March 2020. Since the shutdown in March 2020, millions of schools have been closed, and millions of elementary and secondary school pupils have missed class. Schools have been attempting to replace in-person instruction with online learning because the majority of primary school children haven’t gone in over a year.

Schools and instructors have been experimenting with a variety of methods to interact with their pupils, including Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp groups, community reading, LMS platforms, and more.

Post-Covid scenarios saw a great rise in the number of online teachers. Almost every student now participates in an online community to gain knowledge.As a result, lots of training institutes and education organisations are now tilting toward online learning.

But three years later, there are still some values in the traditional mode of teaching. Hence, many schools, colleges, and universities have adopted a culture of hybrid learning systems wherein students get education through online and offline modes.

Rise in the Need-State of Unconventional Tech Courses like Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Metaverse, etc.

As we strive for a technologically driven industrial revolution, there has been an increase in the market for many traditional courses.Students are now more interested in learning about current industry-oriented courses.

We are living in the era of industry 4.0 and gradually shifting toward industry 5.0. Industry 4.0 focuses on big data, blockchain, cloud computing, cyber security, the metaverse, and more. So, individuals who want to flourish in their careers must acquire hands-on training in such non-traditional tech-based courses. Every year, the number of students enrolling in these courses jumps from the previous year.

There may be various reasons working behind this high enrollment. Lucrative salary, high corporate recognition, good exposure, and job satisfaction are those contributing factors that cause a student to drift from traditional tech courses to these unconventional courses.In addition, these unconventional courses also offer various job roles compared to conventional ones. Furthermore, because many people have avoided blockchain, metaverse, and cyber security due to a lack of knowledge and technical skills, there is less competition for these job roles than for traditional technical ones.

Intelligent students always want to invest their time and money into learning something valuable for their careers. This is the reason they are now switching to developing skills in unconventional courses, which have less competition but higher earning potential.

A Growing Number of Children are Choosing Tech-Based Education and Courses

Because of technological advancement, the education industry has grown rapidly. Innovation has improved educational technology, a branch of study that concentrates on analyzing, planning, and inventing new strategies, putting them into practice, and assessing the effectiveness of the learning environment.

It also requires determining if the students, instructional strategies, and learning materials are in the best possible shape to achieve the desired outcomes. Due to its capacity to widen networks and improve collaboration with other educators locally and internationally, the majority of educational institutions have embraced technology education.

Students of today are more likely to employ new technologies successfully. They may weigh the benefits and drawbacks of new advancements before incorporating them into their academic and professional careers by having a complete awareness of them. As a result, they are more interested in learning technical skills and implementing the lessons they learn in their lives.This gives them a sense of accomplishment and recognition in their family and peer groups.

Increased Awareness is Required to Avoid Cyber-Fraud

Cyberawareness should be part and parcel of our lives. From students to teachers, any individual must know about these frauds happening daily. One should be aware of when one can be a victim of cybercrime. For instance, you need to be alert while doing contactless online transactions, using an instant personal loan app, visiting the online classified marketplace, using an ATM, providing KYC details, making payments through UPI, etc.

If you are aware of these scams, you will take extra caution while dealing with these platforms. When conducting online transactions or accessing online education, it is critical to be aware of who and how one is dealing with.

The primary objective of the modern cybersecurity industry is to safeguard systems and devices against hackers. While it might be difficult to visualise the bits and bytes powering these efforts, it is much easier to consider the results. Due to persistent attempts at denial-of-service attacks, many websites would be nearly impossible to use without the laborious work of cyber security specialists.

With the right information about cyber security, you will be able to keep your software updated, utilise firewalls and anti-virus software, create strong passwords, and use password management software. You will also be able to recognise phishing scams. Pamphlets, phone calls, and emails all need to be handled with caution.

Increasing cyber-security cases and decreasing resolution numbers

The cybersecurity risks affect both the average internet user and businesses of all sizes, as cybersecurity specialists are keenly aware.The talent, malice, and hunger of hackers and data miners will only increase. Security threats and incidents that routinely make the headlines are now well known to the general public as well.

The “State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2021” research by Accenture found a 31% rise in security threats between 2020 and 2021. By 2025, cybercrime is expected to cost $10.5 trillion, according to the Cisco Cybersecurity Ventures “2022 Cybersecurity Almanac.”

Even the most advanced companies can’t completely eradicate cyber vulnerabilities. So it is very difficult for small or midsize companies and laymen to stay protected from online harassment. Hence, governments and private corporations need to focus on the recruitment of skilled cybersecurity professionals to mitigate the number of cyberattacks.

Hence, governments and private corporations need to focus on the recruitment of skilled cybersecurity professionals to mitigate the number of cyber abuse.