Going to school isn’t just about acquiring academic papers. It is an opportunity to acquire life skills, forge friendships, learn lessons about life and explore the world. School should give one an opportunity to build their non-academic skills. However, with the threat of the Covid pandemic and the switching to online learning, this has since become complicated.
With e-learning, students join the class once the link is shared, and as soon as it’s over, everyone goes back to their routine. There is no time to meet and interact after class as is the case with physical learning.
Further, online learning means that most students have to operate from home. Which in turn means limited interaction with their friends. There isn’t much of an opportunity to get to meet the proverbial ‘fake friends’, to make bad decisions and learn lessons from them, or even to meet crushes and see how far your interactions could go. The travel restrictions mean less trips to tour the country or the world.
Some people also believe that one’s college days should be their time to go out for parties and to enjoy the nightlife. With the numerous restrictions that limit this, many people are likely to miss out on that, which might mean that the stage may catch up with them years later, at a time when they are expected to be mature.
With new variants of the virus being discovered every so often, and new waves coming round, we can be sure the pandemic is far from over. This, therefore, calls for us to find new ways to supplement these other aspects of school life, or to experience them while heeding to Covid protocols.
Edited by T Jalio
This story first appeared on Sasa Digital, accessible on Sundays by dialling *550*3#
