Abstract

Covid-19, as a global pandemic, has called for social distancing.

It has made people mandatory to sit indoor and sitting idle
indoor may lead to mental stress. Hence to keep people
engaged and free from mental stress, online learning can play
important role. Online learning is the best solution during this
pandemic situation. Teachers can use virtual classrooms to
teach from home with all necessary tools which makes the
online sessions as effective as traditional ones. Pandemics
often compel the learners to stay at home for long period of
time and obstruct teaching-learning process.

This article emphasizes on how online learning is beneficial

during times of crises like work absences or pandemics.
Therefore, some tools and techniques for online learning
which can ensure the continuity of learning are highlighted.
Some emerging approaches of Government of India for online
learning are presented. Merits and demerits of online learning
platform are also discussed. Perceptions of learners and
educators on Online Learning system during lockdown are
pointed.

Education is the only industry that is completely transferred to

online mode in most countries around the world. Online
learning was the best solution for continuing education during
the pandemic, especially in tertiary education. The
contribution of this study is to evaluate the learners’ new
experiences in online education and to assess the feasibility of
the virtual methods of learning. This is achieved by analyzing
184 learners’ responses to the survey-based questionnaire. A
descriptive statistical method was used to test the validation
of the study. It is found that the main problems that influence
and impact online EFL learning during COVID-19 are related to
technical, academic, and communication challenges. The
study results show that most EFL learners are not satisfied
with continuing online learning, as they could not fulfill the
expected progress in language learning performance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a severe impact on

higher education as universities closed their premises and
countries shut their borders in response to lockdown
measures. Although higher education institutions were quick
to replace face-to-face lectures with online learning, these
closures affected learning and examinations as well as the
safety and legal status of international students in their host
country. Perhaps most importantly, the crisis raises questions
about the value offered by a university education which
includes networking and social opportunities as well as
educational content. To remain relevant, universities will need
to reinvent their learning environments so that digitalisation
expands and complements student-teacher and other
relationships.

Introduction
Most Governments around the world have temporarily closed
educational institutions to control the spread of the Covid-19
pandemic. With an increasing number of states, provinces and
even whole countries closing institutions of learning and over
91% of the world’s student population are not attending
schools/colleges (UNESCO). Several other countries have
implemented localized closures impacting millions of
additional learners. UNESCO is supporting countries in their
efforts to slower the immediate impact of school closures
particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged
communities and trying to facilitate the continuity of
education for all through remote learning. The World Bank is
also actively working with ministries of education in several
countries in support of their efforts to utilize educational
technologies to provide remote learning opportunities to
students while the educational institutions are closed due to
Covid-19 pandemic.

“The corona virus pandemic has led to an unprecedented rise

in present time,” said Global Partnership to End Violence
Executive Director Dr. Howard Taylor. “School closures and
strict containment measures mean more and more families
are relying on technology and digital solutions to keep children
learning, entertained and connected to the outside world, but
not all children have the necessary knowledge, skills and
resources to keep themselves safe online” (UNICEF). In this
pandemic situation of Covid-19, learning can now be realized
online and knowledge can be transferred virtually using
multiple media. Online learning is the best solution during this
crisis. Online learning is a learning environment that takes
place over the Internet. It is often referred to as e-learning. An
online educator compensates the lack of physical presence in
the virtual classroom by creating a supportive environment
where all students feel comfortable to participate in online
class.

It plays a significant role in transforming our lives to digital

world by providing flexible places, class timings and quality
contents. It provides a way to the development of humanity at
the time physical isolation due to pandemic. Online learning is
beneficial because it is instantly accessible and offers flexible
scheduling. In this system, learners use Internet technology to
communicate virtually with their teachers and fellow learners
through E-mail, WhatsApp, Video conferencing, instant
messaging or using other tools. However Videoconferencing
may be effectively used in online learning to enhance group
collaboration with sense of community between learners
which may replace face to face class room learning to some
extent. In the past, students of rural areas were missing many
of the opportunities that their urban and suburban peers had
taken for granted.

Connecting these rural students for online learning via video

conferencing can dramatically improve the quality of their
learning experience. This enables the rural/disadvantaged
learners to both attend school/college from home and gives
them access to the experts.
Videoconferencing is a synchronous model for interactive
voice, video and data transfer between two or more
groups/people. Videoconferencing is just one of the
technological systems that can be used in online learning. The
value of online learning is being recognized by more
organizations, since it is a cost effective way to deliver a large
number of people.

It can produce significant results by not only decreasing costs,

but also by improving performance. Online Learning is
encouraged due to following reasons during lockdown period
for Covid-19. One can acquire knowledge staying at home and
can maintain social distancing. Outbreak of Covid-19can be
minimized due to social distancing. It offers highly effective
learning environments.

It offers complementary interactive support that allows

students to study 24/7 and work at their own pace. It offers
flexible scheduling. It is available in any location, with an
internet connection and students can attend using their
devices (mobile, computers, tablets, etc.). Deals with real-time
student monitoring as well as reporting. Improves the image
of institution by offering technological solutions that solve real
problems.

Importance of the Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption of the
academic field. The struggle to transition rapidly to electronic
learning (e-learning) settings has impacted colleges, teachers
and students at all levels. The number of colleges and
universities worldwide, providing distance education
programs has risen dramatically and many countries have
seen a surge in distance education. The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
reported that more than 1.37 billion students (80% of the
global student population) have been affected by the crisis
(UNESCO, 2020).

The disruptions have forced students to relocate from physical

college campuses and adapt to new online educational
settings. They have encountered mixed feelings of fear,
loneliness, and uncertainty over what will happen with classes,
exams, graduation and other significant activities impacting
their study path, such as platform accessibility issues
notwithstanding potential corona virus health risks
(Veletsianos and Houlden, 2019).

Customarily, distance learning was a choice for educators to

integrate different learning strategies in their planning. The
novel pandemic has made distance learning mandatory,
forcing schools and universities to create an immediate
learning climate in a setting that is distinct from traditional
classrooms and to rapidly adopt unprecedented strategies in
their efforts to make distance education possible. In the
present study the researcher tries to assess the attitude of
higher secondary students towards online learning in this
COVID -19 Pandemic situations.

The study answers the following

questions:
• Q1. What are the challenges of online EFL learning and what
will be the provided facilities to students during online
learning?

• Q2. Can students in remote towns get a good quality of

internet connectivity during online learning?

• Q3. How to make online English classes more engaging,

motivating, and innovative during e-learning?

• Q4. Will EFL learners become familiar with online platforms

and get enough experience and confidence to continue online
learning?

• Q5. Do the recent social media applications facilitate

students’ technical skills needed for online education?
The objectives of this research are as
follows
• Identify the challenges and obstacles of e-learning during
the COVID-19 crisis encountered by EFL learners.

• Understand and utilize the best methods and modes to

engage and motivate the EFL learners in e-learning.

• Familiarize the EFL learners and teachers with the currently

used platforms and applications that can assist in enhancing
and reinforcing education during pandemics.

Literature review
LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT

COVID-19 has affected education all over the world.

Universities and schools are remained closed (Murphy, 2020).
Consequently, the upsurge of e-learning is happening in the
education system. Though online learning helps to teach or
learn in the pandemic period, implementation of a planned
and structured online learning system is essential to have a
successful e-learning system. Many universities already have a
significant transition to e-learning in the pandemic period.
Administrative support is a pivotal factor in implementing an
innovative e-learning system in Higher education (Meyer &
Barefield, 2010). Administrators will manage the schools,
including higher education systems’, policies, teachers’ drive,
and students learning environment (Strike, 2018b).

Administrators have a strong influence on the overall

development of the institutions (Yang, 2010). Administrators
can be involved vigorously in the preparation and
management of the online program to ensure the quality of e-
learning (Strike, 2018a). Since technology adoption in higher
education is inevitable in online courses, a cohesive backing
structure with a collaborative environment is very much
needed in universities and schools (Barefield & Meyer, 2013;
Bolden et al., 2015). Meyer & Barefield (2009) developed an
Administrative Support Matrix (ASM). The ASM contains
evolving and nourishing factors of effective e-learning
programs from the perspective of administrators and
teachers. Therefore, it is hypothesized that

H1. There is a positive relationship between administrative

support and the quality of e-learning in higher education. The
pedagogy and course design of the e-learning environment in
higher education is in the form of a learner-centered approach
rather than a teacher-centered approach (Debattista, 2018).
Effective course content in e-learning would include an
emphasis on dynamic learning and student engagement
(Ashwin & McVitty, 2015). Creating an appropriate course
content has a significant impact on the execution of effective
e learning (Little & Knihova, 2014).
The content of e-learning involves learning materials and
supporting materials available online to the students. The
online course content can be framed with various types of
assignments, quizzes, and projects. This feature facilitates
improvement in students’ analysis, critical thinking, and
problem solving skills (Akyüz & Samsa, 2009). Accordingly,

H2. There is a positive relationship between course content

and the quality of e-learning in higher education. A well-
structured and appealing e-learning course design with visual
information facilitates students learning through online
classes (Oh et al., 2019). The course design interface
showcases the course content. It should be designed
according to the students’ competence and apprehension
level (Ricartet al., 2020).

The e-learning system is better than the traditional face-to-

face classroom learning (Ong & Manimekalai, 2015) in terms
of time, space, and self-learning (Ahmad et al., 2018). In the e-
learning approach, the course is designed with multimedia
resources, which make learners show interest in learning and
easily understand the concepts (Khamparia & Pandey, 2017).
At the same time, the course design for conventional learning
can use minimum multimedia content due to time constraints.
Additionally, appropriate course design of e-learning supports
teamwork, and learners find a fun environment during their
learning (Liao et al., 2019). Therefore, it is hypothesized that:

H3. There is a positive relationship between course design and

the quality of e-learning in higher education. Instructors
should take essential measures for refining the quality of e-
learning to facilitate students with better learning during the
COVID-19 curfew period (Abbasi et al., 2020). The
empowerment of teachers in generating, shaping, and
incorporating different ideas and practices in the
development of online course content helps to achieve
successful e-learning in higher education (Kebritchi et
al.,2017).

The authors Ellis and Goodyear (2010) suggested that the

instructor should give appropriate feedback on time to the
students. In turn, this approach improves the e-learning
quality in higher education. As the instructor is an essential
element in education, observing instructor performance and
gratification through peer evaluation to check the proficiency
of instructors and conducting a survey for their gratification is
essential to improve the quality of e-learning (Alrefaie et al.,
2020).

Taha et al. (2020) provided guidelines to establish a working

team that includes experts from the curriculum committee,
instructional material committee, faculty development
committee, and continuous quality improvement committee
to design, implement, monitor, and assess the transition of e-
learning. Further, in connection with the ICT, assessment
evaluation techniques play a vital role in the teaching learning
methodology (Malik et al., 2018). Accordingly, it is
hypothesized that:

H4. There is a positive relationship between instructor

characteristics and the quality of e-learning in higher
education. Achievement of skills and knowledge using digital
tools with collaborative learning, blended learning, measuring
learning outcomes, and more in-depth learning trends are
reported in the NMC Horizon Report 2017 (HE Edition) (Adams
Becker et al., 2017). Cheng et al. (2019) and Peltier et al. (2007)
recommended a few features in successful e learning:
communication between students, teachers and students’
communication, course design, course content, quality of
teaching, and administrator support.

In a traditional classroom approach, communication between

teachers and students happens directly (Martínez-Argüelles &
Batalla-Busquet, 2016). Nevertheless, e-learning delivers a
diversity of options, which includes multimedia for teaching
and learning to achieve learning outcomes (Sara-badani et al.,
2017). Also, interaction with peer students in the e-learning
system enhances the quality of teach (Goh et al., 2017).
Therefore, it is hypothesized that

H5. There is a positive relationship between learner

characteristics and quality of e-learning in higher education.
Social support has a considerable impact on the quality of e
learning. Family, peers, and instructors should provide a
favorable and encouraging atmosphere in the course of e-
learning classes (Anderson & Grönlund, 2009). Kemp and
Grieve (2014) made studies on two different groups of
psychology students’ activities during traditional classroom
and e-learning courses.

The students are more comfortable in class discussions with

instructors and their peers in the classroom rather than online,
whereas they are interested in doing written work like
assessment and projects through online rather than the
classroom. Social interaction with teachers and collaborative
interaction with peer students is imperative to achieve a
better quality of e-learning.

Through intense interaction and consistent practice, the

effectiveness of e learning can be accomplished (Jung et al.
2002; Noesgaard & Ørngreen 2015). The researchers Shih et
al. (2018) proposed a new algorithm to establish an active
group to improve communication and teamwork among
peers. Accordingly, it is hypothesized that

H6. There is a positive relationship between social support and

quality of e-learning in higher education. As course design and
course content are associated with the quality of e-learning,
e-learning platforms are useful tools for higher education in
online classes (Chivu et al., 2018). Technological platforms (Ali
et al., 2018) used in the e-learning environment should be user
friendly in order to achieve the learning outcome (Goh et al.,
2017).

Installation and operation of e-learning applications should be

easy to use (Ching-Ter et al., 2017; Kimathi & Zhang, 2019).
Providing a coherent structure of the application for e-learning
makes students shift to online classes with greater enjoyment
and satisfaction (Al-Rahmi et al., 2019). Moreover, it is
essential to give adequate training of technical skills to
Elumalai, Sankar, R, John, Menon, Alqahtani, & Abumelha 737
the learners and teachers before the transition to online
courses (Roddy et al., 2017; Shahmoradi etal., 2018).
Therefore, it is hypothesized that
H7. There is a positive relationship between technical support
and the quality of e-learning in higher education. E-learning
quality varies, and there are a few learning approach
differences between genders (male and female students)
(CuadradoGarcía et al., 2010).

EdTech Start-ups in the Times of

Corona
If we go back in history and see EdTech through the ages, we
can observe that writing slates were used in Indian schools
during the 1100s. In the year 1440, first printing press was
invented by Johannes Guttenberg; in the 1600s, Abacus
helped students in understanding fundamentals of Math; and
in the year 1913, Thomas Edison promoted film clips as a
replacement for teachers. In 1927, Sidney Pressy invented the
first teaching machine famously called the MCQ machine. In
the 1960s, online education originated at the University of
Illinois and in 1994, India’s EdTech journey finally began in
India with the launch of Educomp. Recently, around 2010,

EdTechs start-ups entered the market intending to disrupt the

education sector. A learning application Byju’s became one of
the most valued EdTech companies in the year 2019. And from
then many start-ups have come up to give tough competition
to Byjus’s. Li Kang, Ai English Executive Director said, “Online
Learning is the future and if there was no virus, that realization
would have taken another few years but this has accelerated
the process.”

EdTech Start-ups are tapping all the right opportunities by

providing free online courses to students amidst this crisis.
UNESCO also suggested that these EdTech Start-ups and
learning apps can help students during such hard times. Digital
payment companies, such as Paytm, Mobiwik, Tez, PhonePe,
and so on, grew rapidly during and after demonetization.

Now, in this pandemic outbreak, EdTech start-ups are hoping

for improved performance. EdTech start-ups are trying hard to
make most out of this situation by providing several free
courses and e-resources to the students. Although the
availability of electricity and a stable internet connection is still
a bigger challenge in their way as a lot of Indian cities
especially small cities still face frequent electricity shortages.
As per the reports, initiatives by these companies are already
bringing them gains. Their customer base is improving a lot, it
might be for a temporary period but even if they can retain a
few customers it is for their good only. 10 Journal of
Educational Technology Systems 49(1) Educators or teachers
in the form of facilitators face a lot of trouble while working
on these EdTech start-ups in the form of how to start using it
when to use it, how to reduce distractions for students, how
to hone students’ skills via EdTech.

The participation by students is not enough, educators must

put considerable effort to increase student engagement,
retain their attention, take feedbacks, and assess them in
several ways. This will create an effective and meaningful
learning environment. EdTech cannot replace a teacher but it
can enhance instruction.

During such tough times, when Covid-19 has forced schools

and colleges to remain completely lockdown for few weeks
due to the seriousness of the situation, EdTech companies can
prove to be of great help to students (Brianna et al., 2019).
According to the reports by KPMG and Google, the EdTech
sector will boom and is likely to reach around 2 Billion Dollars
by 2021.

Some of the famous EdTech start-ups include Byju’s, Adda247,

Alolearning, AptusLearn, Asmakam, Board Infinity, ClassPlus,
CyberVie, Egnify, Embibe, ExtraaEdge, iStar, Jungroo Learning,
GlobalGyan, Lido Learning, Pesto, Vedantu, Edubrisk, ZOOM
Classroom, ZOOM Business, Toppr, Unacademy, Coursera,
Kahoot, Seesaw, Khan Academy, e-pathshala, GuruQ, and the
list is long.

SWAYAM portal is an interesting educational program that is

initiated by the government of India to achieve three
important objectives of our educational policy, that is, access,
equity, and quality. The main objective of SWAYAM is to
provide online learning and reduce the digital divide. It
provides a large number of free courses for school, distance,
graduate, and postgraduate education. During the Covid-19
crisis, SWAYAM is of great help for students across the
country.

SWOC Analysis of Online Learning:

During Corona Virus Pandemic and
Other Crisis-Like Situation (Natural
Disasters)
In the aftermath of some of the natural calamities such as
floods, cyclones, earthquakes, hurricanes, and so on,
knowledge delivery becomes a challenging task. These hazards
disrupt the educational processes in schools and colleges in
several ways. Sometimes, it leads to closure of schools and
colleges which creates serious consequences for students and
deprives them of their fundamental right to education and
poses them to future risk. “100 million children and young
people are affected by natural disasters every year. Most of
them face disruption to their schooling” (World Vision).
Situations of crisis and conflicts are the biggest hurdles in the
path of education. Many students and teachers also face
psychological problems during crisis there is stress, fear,
anxiety, depression, and insomnia that lead to a lack of focus
and concentration.

With changing weather patterns and rising global

temperatures, an increasing number of extreme weather
events have become the new norm. Such events caused
varying amounts of loss to life and property. Table1 shows
some of the natural disasters that caused huge disruption in
educational processes. Large numbers of schools and colleges
were destroyed and thousands of students were affected by
these natural calamities. Their education got disrupted in
midway.

“Disruption of education can leave children at risk of child

labor, early marriage, exploitation, and recruitment into
armed forces” (Baytiyeh, 2018). When disasters and crises
(man-made and natural) occur, schools and college need to be
resilient and should find new ways to continue with teaching–
learning activities (Chang-Richards et al., 2013). For instance,
in 2016, Italy experienced three violent and powerful
earthquakes. This brought huge devastation in the number of
areas.

About 1, 00,000 people became homeless, buildings and

structures collapsed, and there was severe loss of life and
property. The University of Camerino, one of the oldest
universities in the world suffered a huge loss. The university
was in crisis, its structure collapsed, a large number of
students became homeless and some left the place. In such
situations, students were deprived of education and learning.
It is rightly said, “It is difficult to stick to the traditional road
when the road itself has crumbled.” This means that face-to-
face instructions were not possible at that time; therefore,
management and leaders came forward to devise some plans
to keep the educational processes in continuation. Before the
earthquake’s destruction, e-learning at the University was
cumbersome. But they were unstoppable, and to continue the
teaching–learning processes, they used Webex (an online
tool) by Cisco.

Webex helped professors in designing their instructional

programs and sharing notes and presentations with students.
In almost 1 month, the university was well-versed with e-
learning strategies and techniques. They integrated
themselves well in an e-learning world.

They believed that, of course, the value of the face-to-face

instruction method cannot be reduced, but e-learning can be
used together with the traditional methods to bring in
efficiency, effectiveness, and competitive edge over other
competitors by imparting quality education (Barboni, 2019). In
February 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook
Christchurch and the University of Canterbury collapsed.
Information technology and online learning helped the
university to restart its operations and gave them a second life
(Todorova & Bjorn-Andersen, 2011). At New Orleans,
Southern University converted itself into an e-learning campus
after the violent hurricane created a Havoc.
Several online courses were offered and mobiles were used to
provide education to the displaced students (Omar et al.,
2008). And the most recent disaster is in the form of the Covid-
19 which is spreading like a forest fire around the world. All of
the schools, colleges, and universities are facing lockdowns in
the most affected areas to curb further spread of the 12
Journal of Educational Technology Systems 49(1) Corona
Virus. Many academic institutions are, therefore, seeking the
help of online learning so that teaching and learning processes
are not hampered.

In the last few years, e-learning has started gaining popularity

in India. Many platforms provide affordable courses to
students via Massive Open Online Courses. Still a lot of
institutions in India were reluctant toward online teaching and
learning. However, the challenges posed by the Corona Virus
pandemic introduced everyone to a new world of online
learning and remote teaching. Instructors indulged them in
remote teaching via few flat forms such as Google Hangouts,
Skype, Adobe Connect, Microsoft teams, and few more,
though ZOOM emerged as a clear winner. Also, to conduct
smooth teaching learning programs, a list of online etiquettes
was shared with students and proper instructions for
attending classes were given to them (Saxena, 2020).

Strengths
E-learning methods and processes are really strong. These
strengths of the online learning modes can rescue us from
these hard times. It is student-centered and offers a great deal
of flexibility in terms of time and location. The e-learning
methods enable us to customize our procedures and
processes based on the needs of the learners. There are plenty
of online tools available which is important for an effective and
efficient learning environment. Educators can use a combo of
audio, videos, and text to reach out to their students in this
time of crisis to maintain a human touch to their lectures. This
can help in creating a collaborative and interactive learning
environment.
Where students can give their immediate feedback, ask
queries, and learn interestingly. The Anywhere-Anytime
feature of e-learning is beneficial in the times of crisis-like
situation, for instance, man-made disasters, natural disasters,
or pandemics such as Covid-19. The closure of places and
unsafe traveling by roads can create a lot of troubles but e
learning will at least not keep us deprived of getting an
education at our homes or workplaces. Technology provides
innovative and resilient solutions at times of crisis to combat
disruption and helps people to communicate and even work
virtually without the need of face-to-face interaction. This
leads to many system changes in organizations as they adopt
new technology for interacting and working (Mark & Semaan,
2008).
 Weaknesses
E-learning has certain weaknesses in the form that it can
hamper the communication between the learner and the
educator, that is, direct communication and human touch are
lost. Users can face many technical difficulties that hinder and
slow-down the teaching–learning process (Favale et al., 2020).
Time and location flexibility, though it is the strength of online
learning these aspects are fragile and create problems.
Student’s non serious behavior in terms of time and flexibility
can cause a lot of problems.

All students and learners are not the same, they vary in
degrees of their capabilities and confidence level. Some do not
feel comfortable while learning online, leading to increased
frustration and confusion. Inadequate compatibility between
the design of the technology and component of psychology
required by the learning process; and inadequate
customization of learning processes can obstruct the teaching
process and creates an imbalance.

Opportunities
Online learning generally has a lot of opportunities available
but this time of crisis will allow online learning to boom as
most academic institutions have switched to this model.
Online Learning, Remote Working, and e-collaborations
exploded during the outbreak of Corona Virus crisis (Favale et
al., 2020). Now, academic institutions can grab this
opportunity by making their teachers teach and students learn
via online methodology. The people have always been
complacent and never tried some new modes of learning. This
crisis will be a new phase for online learning and will allow
people to look at the fruitful side of e-learning technologies.
This is the time when there is a lot of scope in bringing out
surprising innovations and digital developments.

Already, EdTech companies are doing their bit by helping us

fighting the pandemic and not letting learning to be put at a
halt. Teachers can practice technology and can design various
flexible programs for students’ better understanding. The
usage of online learning will test both the educator and
learners. It will enhance problem-solving skills, critical thinking
abilities, and adaptability among the students.

In this critical situation, users of any age can access the online
tools and reap the benefits of time and location flexibility
associated with online learning. Teachers can develop
innovative pedagogical approaches in this panicky situation,
now also termed as Panicgogy. EdTech Start-ups have plenty
of opportunities to bring about radical transformations in
nearly all the aspects associated with education ranging from,
teaching, learning, evaluation, assessment, results,
certification, degrees, and so on. Also, increasing market
demand for e-learning is an amazing opportunity for EdTech
start-ups to bring technological disruption in the education
sector.
 Challenges
Online learning faces many challenges ranging from learners’
issues, educators’ issues, and content issues. It is a challenge
for institutions to engage students and make them participate
in the teaching–learning process.

It is a challenge for teachers to move from offline mode to

online mode, changing their teaching methodologies, and
managing their time. It is challenging to develop content which
not only covers the curriculum but also engage the students
(Kebritchiet al., 2017). The quality of e-learning programs is a
real challenge. There is no Dhawan 15 clear stipulation by the
government in their educational policies about e-learning
programs. There is a lack of standards for quality, quality
control, development of e-resources, and e-content delivery.

This problem needs to be tackled immediately so that

everyone can enjoy the benefits of quality education via e-
learning (Cojocariu et al., 2014). One should not merely focus
on the pros attached to the adoption of online learning during
the crises but should also take account of developing and
enhancing the quality of virtual courses delivered in such
emergencies (Affouneh et al., 2020). A lot of time and cost is
involved in e-learning.

It is not as easy as it seems, a considerable amount of

investment is needed for getting the devices and equipment,
maintaining the equipment, training the human resources,
and developing the online content. Therefore, an effective and
efficient educational system needs to be developed to impart
education via online mode. Ensuring digital equity is crucial in
this tough time. Not all the teachers and students have access
to all digital devices, internet, and Wi-Fi. Unavailability of
proper digital tools, no internet connections, or iffy Wi-Fi
connections can cause a lot of trouble due to which many
students might lose out learning opportunities.
Efforts should be taken by institutions to ensure that every
student and faculty is having access to the required resources.
They must also ensure that all the educational apps work on
mobile phones as well, in case students do not have laptops.
Therefore, steps must be taken to reduce the digital divide.
Practice makes a man perfect is a famous and very true
proverb. Students and teachers across various universities
have never really practiced e-learning. Most of them are
complacent and are stuck with traditional modes of teaching.
The Corona Virus outbreak is the chance to make out the best
from the current situation. We can learn a lot in this
challenging situation. A lot of tools are available, teachers are
required to choose the best tool and implement it to impart
education to their students.

A step-by-step guide can be prepared by academic institutions

that can guide the teachers and students on how to access and
use various e-learning tools and how to cover major
curriculum content via these technologies thereby reducing
the digital illiteracy. Teachers can present the curriculum in
various formats, that is, they can use videos, audios, and texts.
It is beneficial if educators complement their lectures with
video chats, virtual meetings, and so on to get immediate
feedback and maintain a personal connection with the
students.

Findings of the Research

Table- 1 Showing the size (N), mean (M), Standard Deviation
(SD), and‘t’ values of total Attitude towards online learning of
Higher secondary school boys and girls.

From the table -1 we can reveal that the obtained’ Value is

2.54 greater than the table value 1.97 (df=208) at 0.05 level of
significance. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected, and
alternate hypothesis is formulated that there is significant
difference between the mean scores in Attitude towards
online learning of higher secondary school boys and girls.

Further, the table also reveals that the mean score of attitudes
of online learning of girls (M=52.36) is greater than the mean
score attitude toward online learning of boys (M=48.23) of
higher secondary school students. Hence the attitudes
towards online learning of girls have interest and good
attitude towards online learning than the boys.
From the table -2 we can reveal that the obtained’ Value is
3.48 greater than the table value 2.60 (df=208) at 0.01 level of
significance. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected, and
alternate hypothesis is formulated that there is significant
difference between the mean scores in Attitude towards
online learning of higher secondary Government and Private
schools.

Further, the table also reveals that the mean score of attitudes
of online learning of Private school students (M=46.14) is
greater than the mean score attitude toward online learning
of Government (M=36.42) higher secondary school students.

Hence the attitudes towards online learning of Private higher

secondary school students have more interest, involvement
and good attitude towards online learning than the
Government higher secondary school students.
From the table -3 we can reveal that the obtained’ Value is
4.28 greater than the table value 2.60 (df=208) at 0.01 level of
significance. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected, and
alternate hypothesis is formulated that there is significant
difference between the mean scores in Attitude towards
online learning of higher secondary Urban and Rural schools.
Further, the table also reveals that the mean score of attitudes
of online learning of Urban school students (M=60.38) is
greater than the mean score attitude toward online learning
of Rural (M=40.52) higher secondary school students. Hence
the attitudes towards online learning of urban higher
secondary school students have good attitude towards online
learning and show interest and utilize opportunities than the
rural higher secondary school students.
From the table -3 we can reveal that the obtained’ Value is
4.28 greater than the table value 2.60 (df=208) at 0.01 level of
significance. Hence the null hypothesis is rejected, and
alternate hypothesis is formulated that there is significant
difference between the mean scores in Attitude towards
online learning of higher secondary Urban and Rural schools.
Further, the table also reveals that the mean score of attitudes
of online learning of Urban school students (M=60.38) is
greater than the mean score attitude toward online learning
of Rural (M=40.52) higher secondary school students.

Educational Implications
1. There is significant difference between the mean scores in
Attitude towards online learning of higher secondary school
boys and girls. Girls are good attitude towards online class
than boys so, in schools’ teachers are motivated to boys to
attend online classes and give importance of online classes in
a COVID-19 pandemic situation.
2. There is significant difference between the mean scores in
Attitude towards online learning of higher secondary
Government and Private schools. Government schools higher
authority take initiative to provide the online learning facilities
and training to the teachers and provide free tab or mobile for
students and teachers also take interest, motivate the
students and utilize different free online platform to improve
the online learning of government higher secondary school
students.

3. There is significant difference between the mean scores in

Attitude towards online learning of higher secondary Urban
and Rural schools. Rural school management and teaching
staff members encourage, motivate, financial support take
financial support from the government and Non-Government
organizations to improve the online leaning of rural higher
secondary school students.

The impact of COVID-19 on

education - Insights from Education
at a Glance 2020
This brochure focuses on a selection of indicators from
Education at a Glance, selected for their particular relevance
in the current context. Their analysis enables the
understanding of countries’ response and potential impact
from the COVID-19 containment measures. The following
topics are discussed
This crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequities
in our education systems – from access to the broadband and
computers needed for online education, and the supportive
environments needed to focus on learning, up to the
misalignment between resources and needs. The lockdowns
in response to COVID-19 have interrupted conventional
schooling with nationwide school closures in most OECD and
partner countries, the majority lasting at least 10 weeks. While
the educational community have made concerted efforts to
maintain learning continuity during this period, children and
students have had to rely more on their own resources to
continue learning remotely through the Internet, television or
radio.

Teachers also had to adapt to new pedagogical concepts and

modes of delivery of teaching, for which they may not have
been trained. In particular, learners in the most marginalised
groups, who don’t have access to digital learning resources or
lack the resilience and engagement to learn on their own, are
at risk of falling behind. Hanushek and Woessman have used
historical growth regressions to estimate the long-run
economic impact of this loss of the equivalent to one-third of
a year of schooling for the current student cohort. Because
learning loss will lead to skill loss, and the skills people have
relate to their productivity, gross domestic product (GDP)
could be 1.5% lower on average for the remainder of the
century. The present value of the total cost would amount to
69% of current GDP for the typical country.

These estimates assume that only the cohort currently in

school are affected by the closures and that all subsequent
cohorts resume normal schooling. If schools are slow to return
to prior levels of performance, the growth losses will be
proportionately higher. Of course, slower growth from the loss
of skills in today’s students will only be seen in the long term.

However, when considered over this term, the impact

becomes significant. In other words, countries will continue to
face reduced economic well-being, even if their schools
immediately return to pre-pandemic levels of performance.
For example, for the United States, if the student cohorts in
school during the 2020 closures record a corona-induced loss
of skills of one-tenth of a standard deviation and if all cohorts
thereafter return to previous levels, the 1.5% loss of future
GDP would be equivalent to a total economic loss of USD 15.3
trillion (Hanushek E and Woessman L, forthcoming [1]).
The spread of COVID-19 has sent shockwaves across the globe.
The public health crisis, unprecedented in our lifetimes, has
caused severe human suffering and loss of life. The
exponential rise in infected patients and the dramatic
consequences of serious cases of the disease have
overwhelmed hospitals and health professionals and put
significant strain on the health sector. As governments
grappled with the spread of the disease by closing down entire
economic sectors and imposing widespread restrictions on
mobility, the sanitary crisis evolved into a major economic
crisis which is expected to burden societies for years to come.

According to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook, even the

most optimistic scenarios predict a brutal recession. Even if a
second wave of infections is avoided, global economic activity
is expected to fall by 6% in 2020, with average unemployment
in OECD countries climbing to 9.2%, from 5.4% in 2019. In the
event of a second large-scale outbreak triggering a return to
lockdown, the situation would be worse (OECD, 2020[2]). All
this has implications for education, which depends on tax
money but which is also the key to tomorrow’s tax income.
Decisions concerning budget allocations to various sectors
(including education, healthcare, social security and defence)
depend on countries’ priorities and the prevalence of private
provision of these services.

Education is an area in which all governments intervene to

fund, direct or regulate the provision of services.
As there is no guarantee that markets will provide equitable
access to educational opportunities, government funding of
educational services is needed to ensure that education is not
beyond the reach of some members of society. In 2017, total
public expenditure on primary to tertiary education as a
percentage of total government expenditure was 11% on
average across OECD countries.

However, this share varies across OECD and partner countries,

ranging from around 7% in Greece to around 17% in Chile
(Figure 1). However, government funding on education often
fluctuates in response to external shocks, as governments
reprioritise investments. The slowdown of economic growth
associated with the spread of the virus may affect the
availability of public funding for education in OECD and
partner countries, as tax income declines and emergency
funds are funnelled into supporting increasing healthcare and
welfare costs.
One of the aspects of tertiary education which Education at a
Glance tracks each year is international student flows. This is
an area where future editions of this publication may reveal a
sharp reversal of trends in the year that COVID-19 struck. The
global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected
higher education as universities closed their premises and
countries shut their borders in response to lockdown
measures.

The crisis has affected the continuity of learning and the

delivery of course material, the safety and legal status of
international students in their host countries, and students’
perception of the value of their degree. International students
were particularly badly hit at the start of the lockdown as they
have had to sort out the implications of university closures on
their status on campus and within their host country.

Students had to decide whether to return home with limited

information about when they might return, or remain in their
host country with restricted employment and education
opportunities, all while sorting out their visa status. Some
countries, such as Canada or the United Kingdom, have
offered leniency around visa rules, or allowed students to
remain on campus (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Canada, 2020[16]; UKCISA, 2020[17]) but this has not been the
case everywhere.

To ensure the continuity of education despite the lockdown,

higher education institutions have sought to use technology
and offer online classes and learning experiences as a
substitute for in-class time.

However, many universities struggled and lacked the

experience and time they needed to conceive new ways to
deliver instruction and assignments. Examinations were also
affected, causing disruption to students’ learning trajectories
and progression. Although many higher education institutions
offered online courses before the pandemic, few students
considered it as the sole alternative to physical in-person
learning.

For example, in the United States, only 13% of first-cycle

tertiary students were exclusively enrolled in distance
education courses in 2017 (NCES, 2019[18]). With the
reopening of institutions for the coming academic year
severely compromised and travel likely to remain restricted
even after the confinement period, international students are
being forced to deal with the reality of online learning. Beyond
the transactional learning experience, these students are also
losing out on other benefits of international mobility such as
international exposure, access to a foreign job market and
networking.

A survey of EU students studying in the United Kingdom found

that the main reasons for choosing to study abroad were to
broaden their horizons or experience other cultures, improve
their labour-market prospects and improve their competence
in English (West, 2000[19]). Similarly, the opportunity to live
abroad, learn or improve a foreign language and meet new
people, were among the three top reasons cited by students
participating in the EU-ERASMUS programme.

A decrease in the share of international students may, in turn,

have severe repercussions on the funding model of some
higher education institutions where international students
pay higher tuition fees than domestic ones. Countries such as
Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States
that rely heavily on international students paying
differentiated fees will suffer the greatest losses. For instance,
at the bachelor’s or equivalent level, public institutions in
Australia, Canada and the United States charged foreign
students over USD 13 900 more per year than national
students on average in 2017/18. Given the large share of
international students in these countries, international
student inflows provide an important source of revenue for
tertiary institutions. In Australia, the estimated revenue from
foreign students’ tuition fees exceeds one-quarter of the total
expenditure on tertiary educational institutions.
In their first attempts to contain the spread of the virus, many
countries imposed a lockdown and schools and/or universities
have closed for several months across all OECD and partner
countries. Out of the 38 OECD countries and 8 partner
countries covered by Education at a Glance 2020, the People’s
Republic of China was the first to close schools in response to
the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures were imposed on
16 February 2020 in some parts of China, where the scheduled
spring semester starts earlier, and extended nationwide about
a week later.

Other countries also began to close schools (closing school

premises, without necessarily completely ceasing teaching
and learning) as the pandemic expanded. Preliminary
information from various sources (see below) provides a
snapshot of responses during this ongoing and evolving global
pandemic By the end of March, school closures had been
implemented to some extent in all 46 countries covered by
Education at a Glance, but to different degrees: 41 countries
closed schools across the country while 5 (Australia, Iceland,
the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States) closed
them at a subnational or local level (Figure 3). However, not
all countries hit by the pandemic closed all of their schools.

For example, primary schools in Iceland remained open if

class sizes were below 20 students. In Sweden, most primary
and lower secondary schools remained open, while upper
secondary schools switched to mainly distance learning from
mid-March (UNESCO, 2020[24]). It is difficult to estimate
accurately the number of instruction weeks affected in all
countries, as in some countries individual schools or local
authorities have autonomy over the organization of the school
year and the reopening of schools. However, by the end of
June 2020, some degree of school closure was effective for at
least 7 weeks in 2 countries (4%), 8-12 weeks in 6 countries
(13%), 12-16 weeks in 24 countries (52%), 16-18 weeks in 13
countries (28%) and more than 18 weeks in China (UNESCO,
2020[24]).

For example, in some jurisdictions in Australia and Chile the

winter school holidays were brought forward; in Korea the
school year started in April (about one month later than the
typical start) by shortening the summer vacation, and in
Lithuania compulsory school holidays were introduced in the
last two weeks of March (OECD, 2020[26]). European and
Southern Hemisphere countries, Easter holidays scheduled in
mid-April and/or spring vacations between April and early
May mitigated the impact of school.
Countries used a variety of resources to support students’
learning while they were unable to come to school, including
instructional packages (textbooks, worksheets and printouts),
radio education, educational television and online
instructional resources. Countries usually used several tools in
order to reach the largest proportion of students possible. In
the OECD and partner countries, online platforms were the
most popular tool used during school closures (Schleicher and
Reimers, 2020[27]). Online platforms were used in nearly all
OECD and partner countries. Online learning tools ranged
from educational content which students could explore at
their own discretion and formalised learning programmes
conducted at their own pace, to real-time lessons led by their
teachers using virtual meeting platforms.

For example, Estonia collaborated with private services to

provide a wealth of educational content free to students
during school closure. In France, already-existing distance
learning programme “Ma classe à la maison” (My classes at
home) became available for all students in primary and
secondary schools (Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale et de la
Jeunesse, 2020[28]). In Greece, teachers conducted virtual
real-time classes in conjunction with other online learning
tools (Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, 2020[29];
Schleicher and Reimers, 2020[27]).

Another popular learning arrangement in many OECD

countries were television broadcasts providing educational
content to continue students’ learning. In some countries, TV
programmes mostly catered for younger children in primary
schools (for example, in Greece, Korea and Portugal), who may
have had difficulty using online learning platforms or
conducting self-directed learning. TV broadcasts are also a
way to reach students who do not have adequate resources
for online instruction. Despite these advantages, broadcasts
can be limited to covering only a few subjects due to the short
amount of time devoted to these TV programmes.

For example, two channels in Spain covered one of five

subjects (Spanish, mathematics, social science, natural
sciences and arts and/or physical education) per day during a
one-hour slot (Ministry of Education and Vocational Training,
2020[30]; Schleicher and Reimers, 2020[27]). Other measures
were also used to help students learn at home. For example in
Luxembourg, the government set up a new support system for
students and parents to support home schooling. In Mexico, a
telephone line “Your Teacher Online” has been activated to
offer mentoring to students (OECD, 2020[26]). In the majority
of the OECD and partner countries, these measures were
conducted by the government with active involvement from
individual schools. However, in Estonia, Finland, Japan and the
Netherlands, individual schools had more autonomy in
organizing these alternative education arrangements
(Schleicher and Reimers, 2020[27]).

During the pandemic, remote learning became a lifeline for

education but the opportunities that digital technologies offer
go well beyond a stopgap solution during a crisis. Digital
technology offers entirely new answers to the question of
what people learn, how they learn, and where and when they
learn.

Technology can enable teachers and students to access

specialized materials well beyond textbooks, in multiple
formats and in ways that can bridge time and space. Working
alongside teachers, intelligent digital learning systems don’t
just teach students science, but can simultaneously observe
how they study, the kind of tasks and thinking that interest
them, and the kind of problems that they find boring or
difficult. The systems can then adapt the learning experience
to suit students’ personal learning styles with great granularity
and precision. Similarly, virtual laboratories can give students
the opportunity to design, conduct and learn from
experiments, rather than just learning about them.

Moreover, technology does not just change methods of

teaching and learning, it can also elevate the role of teachers
from imparting received knowledge towards working as co-
creators of knowledge, as coaches, as mentors and as
evaluators. That being said, the COVID-19 crisis struck at a
point when most of the education systems covered by the
OECD’s 2018 round of the Programme for International
Student Assessment (PISA) were not ready for the world of
digital learning opportunities. A quarter of school principals
across the OECD said that shortages or inadequacy of digital
technology was hindering learning quite a bit or a lot, a figure
that ranged from 2% in Singapore to 30% in France and Italy
(OECD, 2019[31]).

Those figures may even understate the problem, as not all

principals will be aware of the opportunities for instruction
that modern technology can provide. Technology is also only
as good as its use. According to OECD’s Teaching and Learning
International Survey (TALIS) in 2018 just 53% of teachers on
average let their students frequently or always use
information and communication technologies (ICT) for
projects or classwork (Figure 4). However, in Denmark and
New Zealand the share reaches 80% or more, and in Finland,
Israel or Romania those numbers have more than doubled
over the five years leading up to the survey.
According to TALIS, younger teachers use technology more
frequently in the classroom, but so too do teachers for whom
technology was included in their formal training. However,
only 60% of teachers received professional development in ICT
in the year preceding the survey, while 18% reported a high
need for development in this area. These figures highlight that
teachers need to renew their skills regularly in order to be able
to innovate their practices and adapt to the rapid
transformations inherent in the 21st century.

This is even more important in the current context, where the

COVID-19 health crisis has pushed teachers to adapt very
quickly, especially in countries where they do not necessarily
have the pedagogical and technical skills to integrate digital
tools into learning. Data from TALIS provide insights into the
frequency and intensity of teachers’ continued professional
development before the outbreak as well as their readiness to
engage in distance learning. The data show that, on average,
teachers attended about 4 different types of continuous
professional development activities in the 12 months prior to
the survey, and 82% of teachers report that the professional
development activities they participated in had an impact on
their teaching practices.
A survey recently conducted by the OECD and Harvard
University on the education conditions faced in countries and
on the approaches adopted to sustain educational
opportunity during the pandemic has found that the learning
that has taken place during the period when schools were
closed was at best only a small proportion of what students
would have learned in school (Schleicher and Reimers,
2020[27]).

The period of learning at home has made visible the many

benefits that students gain from being able to learn in close
contact with their teachers and peers, and with full access with
the wide variety of educational, social and health-related
services which schools offer. This public awareness of the
importance of schools and of teachers could be strategically
deployed to increase engagement and support from parents
and communities for schools and for teachers. This will be
particularly important in the current context as the health and
economic costs of the pandemic risk reducing the funds
available to education.
There are unquestionable benefits to reopening educational
institutions in terms of supporting the development of
knowledge and skills among students and increasing their
economic contribution over the longer term. In fact, the
learning loss which has already taken place, if left unremedied,
is likely to exact an economic toll on societies in the form of
reduced productivity and growth. Reopening schools will also
bring economic benefits to families by enabling them to return
to work, once public health authorities deem that this is
feasible.

Those benefits, however, must be carefully weighed against

the health risks and sanitary measures needed to minimize the
health impact of the pandemic. Evidence from previous
epidemics suggests that school closures can prevent up to 15%
of infections (OECD, 2020[33]). While this impact is modest
compared with other public policy measures (for instance
workplace social distancing can reduce transmission by up to
73%, case isolation by around 45% and household quarantine
by around 40%), it is not negligible. In some countries there
are also high levels of interaction between the youngest
children and the older generations most at risk from the virus.
Social distancing has proven to be one of the most effective
measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Within a
school context, this means reducing contact between groups
of children and maintaining a safe distance of 1-2 meters
between pupils and staff. In some countries, the safety
distance depends on the level of containment of the virus
achieved. For example, schools in less-affected areas in Japan
(Level 1) are required to maintain a distance of 1 meter while
those in moreaffected ones (Levels 2 or 3) must maintain a
distance of 1-2 meters (MEXT, 2020[34]). Guidance in many
countries has been to reduce or halve the size of the classes in
order to maintain the required distance between students.

Some countries have specified the maximum number of

students allowed in the classroom at any given time. For
example, France and the United Kingdom have recommended
a limit of 15 students in primary classes, provided the safety
distances are maintained (Ministère de l’Education National
eet de la Jeunesse, 2020[35]; Department for Education,
2020[36]). Ensuring a minimum safety distance between
pupils and staff will depend on many factors such as classroom
size, room availability, and the number of students per class.
Countries with smaller class sizes may find it easier to comply
with new restrictions on social distancing provided they have
the space to accommodate the number of students safely.

Although France and the United Kingdom recommend the

same limit on the number of children per primary class, public
institutions in France have class sizes of 23 students on
average, smaller than the United Kingdom where the average
is 27 students per class. With more than 30 students per class
in lower secondary level, countries such as Chile, Colombia
and Japan may face more difficulties in reorganizing classes
into smaller groups of students to maintain a safe distance
between desks.

While remote learning has offered some educational

continuity when it comes to academic learning, vocational
education and training (VET) has been particularly hard hit by
the crisis. Compared to general programmes, VET
programmes suffer a double disadvantage as social distancing
requirements and the closure of enterprises have made
practical and workbased learning that are so crucial for the
success of vocational education difficult or impossible. Yet,
this sector plays a central role in ensuring the alignment
between education and work, the successful transition of
students into the labour market, and for employment and the
economic recovery more generally. Not least, many of the
professions that formed the backbone of economic and social
life during the lockdown hinge on vocational qualifications.
Whether they are school-based or combined school- and
work-based programmes, practical teaching forms an
important part of the VET curricula.

This involves hands-on experience in workshops, laboratories

or in the workplace, specific equipment, and careful attention
from teachers to ensure that tasks are correctly performed. In
some countries, the work-based component can account for
more than 60% of total learning time. VET programmes that
rely most heavily on practical training, such as agriculture,
health, engineering, construction and crafts, will struggle the
most to adjust to remote learning. Even in cases where
practical training can be simulated remotely, the learning
experience is more limited.

• increasing the use of online and virtual platforms more

appropriate to VET to ensure continuity of learning

• financing training breaks or extensions to avoid breaks in

learning resulting in fees, repayments or other penalties for
both learners and providers
• providing wage support for apprentice retention to allow
apprentices to maintain contact with employers and if
possible continue working through remote working or virtual
meetings

• leveraging links between work-based and school based VET

to provide alternative school-based VET in cases where upper
secondary VET students are unable to secure an
apprenticeship, including work-based components

• offering flexible skills assessment and awarding of

qualifications as, in many sectors, particularly healthcare, a
direct route to qualification may need to be established
quickly in response to the COVID-19 crisis

• informing, engaging and communicating with learners,

providers and social partners about new guidance on the
delivery of assessment, or to ensure apprentices are informed
of changes to regulations and practices

• investing in VET to mitigate future skills shortages and

minimize the shock of the crisis.

Conclusion
As we enter the COVID-19 recovery phase, it will be critical to
reflect on the role of educational systems and particularly
vocational education – in fostering resilient societies. The
global health crisis and the lockdown that followed have
brought to the fore professions that have often been taken for
granted, renewing our awareness of their value to society. This
has helped restore a sense of esteem for those workers who
have worked relentlessly during this time to keep economies
afloat. The outlook is very uncertain. But, if anything, the
pandemic has exposed our vulnerability to crises and revealed
how precarious and interdependent the economies we have
built can be. Disruptions on the scale we have just witnessed
are not limited to pandemics, but may also result from natural,
political, economic and environmental disorder.

Our capacity to react effectively and efficiently in the future

will hinge on governments’ foresight, readiness and
preparedness. Through their role in developing the
competencies and skills needed for tomorrow’s society,
education systems will need to be at the heart of this planning.
This includes rethinking how the economy should evolve to
guard against adversity, and defining the skills, education and
training required to support it.

This also means working in close collaboration with other

government sectors and the private sector to increase the
attractiveness and labour-market prospects of certain
professions, including those considered paramount for the
common good. Real change often takes place in deep crises,
and this moment holds the possibility that we won’t return to
the status quo when things return to “normal”. While this
crisis has deeply disruptive implications, including for
education, it does not have predetermined outcomes.
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