A Paradigm Shift in Teaching and Learning: An Overview of the Pre COVID and Post COVID Scenario in the Higher Education Sector of India

Abstract

The current pandemic scenario has suddenly changed the definitions, models and structures of all fields of life, the education sector being no exception. All the stakeholders of this sector- the governments, administrations/managements of the institutions, the teachers and lastly and most importantly the students, who are at the receiving end, have found themselves grappling with the situation, trying to find the best solutions to continue the teaching learning process in the best way possible. Countries all over the globe are dealing with the existing situation in different ways. While in some countries online/digital education was already an established norm, in some others- specially the developing countries, the concept is relatively new and shall take some time to integrate into the conventional modes of disseminating education. The current paper, however, attempts to present an overview of the higher education sector in India-- the pre-COVID and post-COVID scenario as far as the digital initiatives taken by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India are concerned. The MHRD and the government of India had already started taking steps towards digitalization of education in the higher education sector and those initiatives have only got a stimulus in the current lockdown situation due to the pandemic. The University Grants Commission- which is a statutory body under MHRD, charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education- has been issuing fresh guidelines and directives to the universities of the country for incorporating various programs to encourage online teaching and learning. Training of teachers in various ICT enabled Learning Management Systems under various schemes, making students aware of various digital platforms of learning, directing state governments and institutions regarding making use of the various applications for learning etc. are, to name a few, the steps taken by the government of India in the current situation. All these programs and initiatives shall certainly have a bearing on the future course of education in the country as well, because by the time the pandemic situation is over- the digital/online education shall have become a ‘new normal’ across the country