What’s been the biggest impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your life?
Ask that question to any student, and they’ll tell you all about how the pandemic has disrupted their education.
As fears of the novel coronavirus disease engulfed the world, educational institutions were forced to shut their gates. They quickly adopted e-learning tools to ensure continued learning for students.
The Impact of Online Education
As online education became the norm, many studies were conducted to highlight its benefits. E-learning helps students learn at their pace, thus improving retention and productivity. Also, it helps educational institutions cut down operating costs.
But while the world has been busy singing praises for the emerging changes in the education system, they’ve completely ignored a huge section of students.
These are the children from low-income families who don’t have access to a stable internet connection. Nor do they own a computer or smartphone.
The plight of these students has highlighted the digital divide that exists across the globe. For instance, more than 30% of children in Israel’s periphery don’t have internet access at home. In contrast, less than 4% of children in the country’s socioeconomic center lack internet access.
According to Eyal Edry, founder of the Achinoam Association for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities, nearly 400,000 students in Israel were abandoned by the government during the hasty transition to online learning.
While many countries have garnered praise for the implementation of e-learning policies, the growing digital divide poses a serious threat to future generations.
Disrupted Learning
The most obvious downside of online education is that children from low-income households lose access to classes. In the absence of a computer or internet connection, they’re left with no choice but to miss important lessons.
That, in turn, causes them to disengage from their education. It won’t be surprising if these children don’t return to school after in-person classes resume.
Even if a few of them wish to go back to school, they’d have accumulated massive learning gaps. They’ll struggle to catch up with their peers and improve their performance.
Emotional Distress
The uncertainty of the pandemic has been hard on adults and children alike. Students have been deprived of the opportunity to attend lectures, meet their classmates, and participate in extracurricular activities.
With online classes, children get to maintain a semblance of normalcy. They can interact with their classmates and collaborate on school projects, albeit virtually.
But that isn’t the case for students who live in poverty. The inability to attend online classes takes a toll on their emotional and mental development. It’ll affect their interpersonal skills, and cause them to become aloof. That, in turn, could be devastating for their mental health.
Threat to Social Resilience
The lack of access to quality education isn’t simply a threat to low-income families. Its collective impact could disintegrate the social fabric of a country.
That’s because students shape society’s future. Amidst the pandemic, an entire generation of students is growing up with the belief that neither educational institutions nor the government cares about them.
Such a generation of disgruntled and disillusioned youth could be the greatest threat to a nation’s social resilience.
It emphasizes the importance of providing all students with the means and resources to join online classes.
A Ray of Hope from the Edry Brothers
Having grown up amidst financial hardships, Eyal Edry understands the pain of a deprived childhood. That’s why he joined hands with his older brother, Rafi Edry, and younger brother, Moshe Edree, to establish the Achinoam Association.
Named after their father, the organization has undertaken various initiatives for the upliftment of children and youth in Israel’s periphery.
So, it’s only natural that the Achinoam Association stepped forward to help students during the pandemic.
Under the leadership of Eyal Edry, Refael Edry, and Moshe Edree, the organization launched a fundraising campaign to provide students with computers. They collected donations from various sources and provided personal computers to thousands of students in Israel’s social and geographic periphery.
The initiative by Eyal, Refael, and Moshe Edree helped these students take charge of their education. They were able to avoid a bleak future with no opportunities for a better life.
Paving the Way Forward
Eyal, Moshe, and Refael Edry’s fundraising initiatives are a speck in the ocean of the global education crisis. Eyal Edry believes governments should delegate budgets to non-profit organizations, and let them implement the right programs to promote equal access to education.
It’s just as important to empower welfare agencies with more resources and funds to help them continue with their efforts. Simple changes, such as increasing tax credit for donations, could encourage more citizens and businesses to step forward and provide these organizations with more funding.
