How has the 2-year disruption in Education Affected the Kids

The last two years have been the most dreadful ones for every one of us around the world. They are the worst memories and we are eager to shirk them off and get on with life. While many worried about their future, others were worried about their kids’ future. It is logical as it was a scary situation. 

I still remember the time the lockdowns were announced globally. We are talking about 1.4 billion students across 190 countries! As many as 150 countries closed their schools completely. Initially, many of us did not even take it seriously. But only when the days of lockdown turned into weeks and weeks turned into months that we realized the gravity. 

Ultimately, it was a 2-year break from everything! Companies continued functioning for a few weeks, and the schools and other institutions remained completely shut for over two years. What happened when the schools reopened after the pandemic situation lifted off? Let’s read on. 

Not Two Years of Break!

This is what many parents had felt. “Oh, my younger one has not even seen her school and she will be five next year!” said a parent. “My son has almost forgotten how school was like pre-pandemic.” Many parents had just felt that when the lockdown was still in place. “It’s like one long holiday for them!” said a parent. But, was it so? If you look at the loss of two years’ worth of education, it is not worth it!

So, what did the two-year break from education do?

The Learning Gap

If you look at the already poor community of people, they just got one more reason for not sending their child to school. Many families lost their livelihoods during the pandemic. This meant they were facing the option of living or educating and they chose the former without any doubt. Education can wait- this was the mantra many had especially when facing this challenge. 

However, many people also realized that this kind of complete isolation of children from their education was not going to help. This also showed them that education has to continue whether there is a lockdown or not. They realized that the children were not just cut off from any kind of school education but even social skills. 

This is why a few visionaries decided to go for online education. However, there was no clear idea on how to do that and everyone was at a loss. This was when the teachers and universities decided to use the basic tools available in the market to bridge the learning gap. 

Problems Faced by Students 

• Lack of Avenues for Gaining Knowledge: Kids from all social strata do not have equal opportunities to get knowledge. So, while the people could afford a tutor online even in the uncertain phase of the pandemic, others struggled. So, kids dropped out of school. The kids from affluent families were also getting the option of getting their stock of books and notes. The others were not able to do so. 

• Initial Struggle in Online Education: Kids who started their education did not get to have a teacher present in the classroom physically. While the first-time school-going kids never knew what it was to not have a teacher around in the classroom physically present, the others felt it. 

This was among the foremost issues they faced. Online screen-time also increased as kids now had to not just sit through the few hours for classes, but also attend extra classes or do assignments online. This worsened their attention span and even caused them to fret. 

• The General Aversion towards Education: It is a universal fact that you have to teach the child to love education. At first, they might not even show a basic interest in learning. But if you can make their study-time entertaining, they might even start learning. But to do so, teachers and parents might need to use several toys and tools to ensure they learn everything. In the pandemic times, with the unavailability of these tools, it became even worse. 

The Repercussions of the 2-year Break

The two-year break is more than just a break for sure. It is not just that the kids are forgetting whatever they have studied pre-pandemic in their classes alone. They have developed an issue of disinterest in schooling. When the schools reopened, educators noticed this the first. They noticed that the first-time schoolers were not just the troubled ones. This was the case for those who were in their elementary or middle school and had already studied in regular schools as well. 

What’s worse is that many schools around the world had even taken an effort to promote the children to the next grades. Many schools had reduced their school curriculum for every grade by a large margin. This way they felt that at least the kids will stay in touch with education. 

This is what led educators to opt for hybrid schooling as a way of warming up. This was also a means of them to keep the children safe from COVID-19. 

After battling all of these issues, schools around the world have started opening up. They have started going on in the old pre-pandemic ways. But this said the gap that the two years have caused is irreversible and irreparable. You cannot ignore the fact that the kids face a monumental challenge ahead now more than what they already faced.  This is what led to the development of research materials and the emergence of the brand SapienKid. The brand has taken the initiative to create engaging content to help parents teach their kids life-altering skills. To get your hands on the most interesting set of stories aka the Sapien Fables from SapienKid.

To buy and gift a book to your child, shop from SapienKid’s website www.sapienkid.com now!

To get such handy and useful parenting tips, you can also visit our Sapien Parenting Page.