The education sector of the United States significantly altered in the pandemic, especially through the demands of waiving student loans and embracing the new normal of online and distant learning programs.
Schools continue to comply with the vaccination mandate throughout the country, which experts thought necessary to curb the contagious virus.
However, resistance groups are also increasing, especially in the GOP-dominated states where the administrations are hesitating to enforce these protocols.
Online Education has Intensified Class Conflict in Education
Schools and colleges, regardless of their level, were scrambling in response to the virus. Throughout the world, virtual learning emerged in a variety of institutions, with teachers, students, and even local leaders adjusting quickly to the change.
Even when the pandemic is over, COVID-19 will undoubtedly have a significant impact on education for the foreseeable future, shining a critical light on topics ranging from equity to ed-tech to school funding.
Colleges are now admitting freshmen without requiring SAT/ACT scores, allowing low-income students to attend top schools.
Meanwhile, the already disadvantaged people having inadequate access to the internet suffered the most, which can be seen as an instrument to perpetuate social inequality among the people.
The education system was already under fire by Marxist critics that it is responsible for creating social inequality and class division among the people.
This school of thought evinced that the educational sector provides the rich class a path toward social mobility, as not everyone can afford to go to expensive schools.
The students who go to elite schools get more opportunities during their placement in the capitalist system compared to those who do not attend college or go to a lower-standard school.
After the pandemic, however, the dynamics of social inequality are changing. Now, students with no or little access to the internet are being thrown out of the system altogether and are being exposed to irreparable damage as the dropout rate increased significantly during COVID.
Decade-long efforts have been wasted now as the school dropout rate declined from 10% in 2006 to 5% in 2010.
Now, after the COVID outbreak, this rate is increasing once again, which will change the employment dynamics in upcoming times.
Online Education is the Future, even if it Creates Further Divisions among Classes
Even if online education encourages further social inequality, it is here to stay in the foreseeable future.
For those who have access to online education, the system has been proven nothing less than a blessing.
Students are now habituating with this learning mechanism, and many are even reluctant to go to physical schools anymore.
And the model is sustainable for the schools’ business results as well. They can cut down their expenses by a significant number if they decide to promote online education on an ongoing basis.
Many schools can even lobby for creating a public narrative that online education is the future to improve their chances of making big money.
Homeschooling to Skyrocket: DOJ Efforts of Inquiring Threats to Teachers will Enforce Parents not to Send Their Children to Schools
Millions of families this fall will keep their kids at home. Keeping kids away from COVID is a common protective measure, but some parents design their children’s school days with their own input rather than solely depending upon schools.
The homeschooling trend is likely to intensify after the DOJ measure of cracking down against the threats against teachers. There is a perception that this measure will sue parents who want more control over their kids at schools.
Even the debate of woke curriculum has intensified in schools, where right-wing parents are not comfortable exposing their kids to the pro-left curriculum.
Some NGOs protecting parents’ rights in schools also criticized the Biden administration for the DOJ measure, as the memorandum labeled the threats against teachers as “domestic terrorism.”
Final Thoughts
The most important things which online education has impacted are the physical movement of children and their communication skills.
In online education setups, obviously, no sporting events can ever be organized. And the future of the daily or weekly sports classes is likely to suffer big time.
This can have a severe impact on the mental health issues of the children who are now accustomed to online education.
As education is not likely to go online altogether, and the physical methodology is here to stay as well, a new hybrid model will be a combination of during-COVID and pre-COVID times.
Nonetheless, the pandemic has successfully impacted education like any other sector, and the government must change the employment policies for those who face the brunt of online education.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.