){kind=logo}
){kind=icon}
){kind=logo}
){kind=icon}
Security measures taken due to the spread of the novel coronavirus have ended up reflecting the reality that many students live outside the classroom.
The novel coronavirus has instantly changed the way education is delivered, given that school and home have now become the same place due to the necessary regulations put into effect. According to UNESCO, more than 861.7 million children and young people in 119 countries have been affected by having to deal with the global pandemic that has shaken us this year. Millions of families in the U.S. have had to join the 1.7 million children who are enrolled in homeschooling. Similarly, in Mexico, the Secretary of Public Education (SEP) has extended the holiday period from 23 March to 17 April 2020.
These measures end up illuminating the reality of the many other roles schools offer, in addition to academics. For some students, this change in the scenario just turns out to be an uncomfortable complication, while for others, the situation is more worrisome. In cities where 70% of the students come from low-income families, bringing the school into their homes means not being able to offer adequate meals to the children, let alone the technology or connectivity required for online learning.
“This is an enormous educational equity challenge that can have life-altering consequences for vulnerable students,” said Ian Rosenblum, Director of The Education Trust-New York. Unfortunately, not many schools can offer a complete virtual academic experience, which includes students who have electronic devices, teachers who know how to design functional online lessons, and a culture based on technological learning. The reality is that most schools are not prepared for this change that makes us recognize that unequal internet access is only one of the many problems facing our educational system at a global level, as Tara García states in The Hechinger Report.
According to the World Economic Forum, only about 60% of the world’s population has access to the internet, resulting in many institutions seeking interim solutions to this crisis. One example is the Mexican educational system, where, outside of private schools or university faculties, the implementation of online learning for the public sector has not been taken. The digital divide continues to expand as students in vulnerable areas continue to lag in their education.
“They’ve been evicted from their stability, they’ve been evicted from their homes, they’ve been evicted from their ability to live comfortably and safely.”
“The biggest change that virtual learning requires is flexibility and the recognition that the controlled structure of schools is not replicable online,” says Noah Dougherty, Director of Design in the educational consultant, Education Elements. Many questions arise from problems that tend to affect disadvantaged people unequally. What kind of support will be provided, for example, to thousands of single Mexican mothers who rely on schools because they have to work and their employers do not allow them to work from home, or to immigrant families who will need to figure out how to manage to homeschool, which may not be their first language, or to those children who depend on school meals. The solutions to these problems are still unknown.
These difficulties are replicated worldwide not only in primary education but also in thousands of universities that have had to close due to this health crisis. Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, and UCLA, just to name a few, have put on hold all their face-to-face classes, academic events, and other services to move to online lectures and conferences. Consequently, thousands of students in higher education around the world have had to abandon their campuses following eviction notices that have left many without available resources or options. All of these measures were taken after states of emergency were declared in different countries.
Such is the situation of about 20% of Harvard students who are in full financial aid, the 10,000 international students, and those belonging to minority groups, who have been the most affected by the preventative measures carried out in recent months. They wondered if they permitted themselves the luxury to return home, what would happen with their visas that do not allow online education, what actions would be taken by those who are from countries that were listed by the CDC, what would be the long-lasting effects on academic projects of years of research, especially those in the arts and sciences, where face to face interaction is vital.
“They’ve been evicted from their stability, they’ve been evicted from their homes, they’ve been evicted from their ability to live comfortably and safely,” says Jordan H. Barton in The Crimson, Harvard’s student newspaper. Many cases of students who are going through this period more turbulently than others are coming to light. James A. Bedford, who simultaneously relies on financial support and the various jobs he does on campus to survive, will be deprived of his primary sources of income, so his return home will be compromised.
“This is an enormous educational equity challenge that can have life-altering consequences for vulnerable students.”
More scenarios are adding to the list, such as those who live in rural areas without internet access or those in different time zones. “Let’s say I have to go back to Japan. That means its a 13 hour time difference. When you guys are taking the actual session, I should be sleeping”, stated Satoshi Yanaizu to the student newspaper. Another student, Tomasz Wojtasik, finds himself in a much more critical situation. He was kicked out of his parents’ house because of his sexuality a year ago, and he mentions that he does not know where he will be staying during this process.
“The only equalizer at Harva
rd is the fact that we all live together and have the same accommodation. We live together, we eat the same food, we have the same faculty resources,” added Wyville, who is originally from Anniston, Alabama. “But if you take away campus living and residential life, then you take away that equalizer.”
Harvard, in response to all these needs, has been developing cases of exception for the international students who cannot return home, and full or partial reimbursements for flights and transportation of belongings to those who depend on the financial support provided by the university. To this is added the students’ solidarity, who are offering shelter and nourishment to those who need it.
On the other hand, there is the case of non-academic staff and the employees who offer their services to college campuses in the areas of cleaning, security, and maintenance. They depend entirely on the influx of students and faculty on campus. The possibilities for them vary from a reduction in hours and unpaid leave to the possible layoffs.
In a matter of weeks, the way students learn has been changed. These transformations give us a glimpse into the inequalities that continue to exist in our educational system, even in the most privileged circles. The World Economic Forum proposes that this pandemic becomes an opportunity to remind us of the skills that our students need in crises just like this one, skills such as making informed decisions, creative problem-solving, and, above all, adaptability. To ensure that these skills remain a priority for all students, we must also integrate resilience into our educational systems.
){kind=icon}
){kind=icon}
This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
)