Students packed their bags and teachers prepared lesson plans as the classrooms were cleaned once again. The field of education was yet again ready for the new academic year when, at the stroke of midnight, the world of enlightenment flipped because of the unstoppable pandemic.

Big black and blank screens replaced whiteboards; meeting IDs substituted tiring timetables and plain messages and meaningless emojis instead of chit chatting. Was this it? By the time students recognised the changes, lengthy lessons were completed. An EMT (Education Ministry of Telangana) survey says that about 84% of the schools are planning to continue virtual classes. Universalisation of online learning became an outcome of a global health pandemic.

And nothing will ever remain the same. The so-called “norms “ will surely start a fresh leaf in our lives and simultaneously keep reminding us we aren’t safe and sound. The teachers can never again tattle about the “noisy“ kids and the children will be denied to even prattle without a mask.

The Covid Pandemic has undoubtedly set up a new tomorrow for all of us, but something like friendship and memories ought to remain the same in our hearts. Every field along with the world of schooling will change, but the distance we maintained has surely taught us to stay united.

Author Details - Shreeja Palde

Hello ! I am a student from class IXA who enjoys learning and exploring the depths of different subjects. Coming to academics, science is the most intriguing for me. Reading and cycling are some of my best-loved activities. I am fond of classics like Pride and Prejudice.

The world we live in today stands as a perfect example of how we humans wander aimlessly in the uncertainty of time. Yet again, nature has shown how it can flip the tables in a jiffy, affecting everything, including education. This could be the most confusing time for students.

Day by day, the darkness of uncertainty starts to close in on you. Buses stop coming, and the chances of meeting your friends after summer start to fade. The days that started by getting ready for school, now start by switching on a big black ugly screen every morning. Schools and playgrounds stand silent and lifelessly accumulate dust as the days move on. Ironically the same device used for games and YouTube is now, being used to attend school. Minutes feel like years and your future seems to be a fathomless dark hole that Alice had once fallen into.

But in the end, every dark night needs to end, and we shall learn our lesson. No matter how rich or technologically advanced our lives become, we will always have fragments that link us to nature. The only thing we can do is to respect it. People shall learn not to take health for granted and shall continue to take the precautions they took in during the pandemic. Children shall grow to have more gratitude for what they have and hopefully everything will return to being normal.

Nature has taught us yet again predicting something as uncertain as the future is a waste. Now, the future of education can only be left for time to decide.