Digital Integration in School Education and the Role of COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic struck human life as a disaster worldwide and left no choice for people other than to keep themselves locked inside their houses for months to years. Many professional and developmental activities in daily life were interrupted completely in the early phase of the pandemic, including school education. Digital tools, technologies, and digital media were adopted as the lifelines for social connectivity, professional work, information sharing, and, most importantly, continuing education in virtual classrooms. As utilizing digital tools and technology was the best choice, among few others, to continue education both for teachers and students, they adopted it and tried their best to search and utilize the best options of such tools and techniques available at that time, and the search is still going on. A study was conducted in different types of schools in Delhi to explore digital integration in school education during and post COVID-19 crisis. The study attempted to understand the role of the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic in digital integration in school. While interacting with principals/heads of the schools, teachers, parents, and students from different types of schools in Delhi, they shared their experiences of becoming digitally well-skilled during that period. Despite the digital divide regarding the availability of digital tools, digital skills, and network data, they tried to find ways. Necessities that emerged due to the COVID-19 crisis played the role of a catalyst in the process of developing digitally well skilled teachers and students that would speed up the process of achieving the goal of “NEP 2020”.