Back To School After Covid

Children over the period were very unhappy without school and were longing to be “BACK TO SCHOOL” with the pandemic easing.  Some students were happy as they didn’t have to study much and easily progressed to the next grade. Willy-nilly, all children sorely missed the school atmosphere and the friends which are so essential for the mental health of the children.  Parents also many times were stuck at home either laid off or due to work from home. They had to do their jobs from home and look after the children also. Covid snuffed out many a young and old and put paid to many a dreams of going back to school forever for many.

At last with the pandemic easing itself by end of 2021, children were relieved to pick up their school bags again and looking forward to going to school again.  Children had to make up for the lost years of learning with additional credits and committing long hours. Though some college students braved the pandemic and stuck to their schedule, some lost the focus due to the grim situation and had to resume their school after the pandemic ended.

Going back to educating oneself is many a time a diversion from monotony of work.  Some after a few years of work take a break from work and join college to acquire new skills and update themselves.  Employers also encourage their employees in their effort for getting back to school. It is win-win for both the employer and the employees. It could boost the performance on return which should greatly benefit the employer also. Some companies sponsor their employees for getting to back to school. Universities give education discounts for working professionals coming back to school.  Some seats are kept reserved for such candidates. Companies give education discounts on education accessories also like Mac and Ipad.

Some go back to school to chart out new careers. Many returning students worry that maintaining their employment during school would detract them from their studies and so prefer not to work. In fact it is not uncommon to leave a job to return to work. Quitting work will help in concentrating on studies and spending time with family. Temporarily it could strain the financial situation but in the longer run, the job security and income typically increase as one gets educated.

Third world countries have a challenge of keeping children from dropping out due to societal conditions. Dropouts are as high as 42% in Africa and 33% in Asia. Getting the girl child to school is also a policy challenge in many countries. Gender equality in education is difficult in poverty and conflict stricken societies. All over the world 129 million girls are out of school. The poor invest more in education of boys. Girls’ education leads to better health and productive lives, higher incomes for them, empowerment to decide for themselves and better futures for their families. Governments have various policy measures for keeping children in school and bring them to school when they drop out.