I must admit that when it comes to education, I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have attended St. Mary’s School, Dum Dum, for five years. However, it was not the school itself that made the difference, but rather the exceptional teachers I had. Our school was managed by devoted Christian missionaries, particularly the Irish Christian Brothers, whose teaching standards were unparalleled. Even after going through junior college and university in Mumbai, I never encountered teaching at the same level as I did in school.
This reflection on my education came to mind when I read about BYJU, the struggling self-learning/online education company. Anyone who has experienced self or online learning knows that it’s not as simple as it may seem.
I still recall BIJU’s advertisements on TV during the COVID lockdowns in 2020 and the media’s enthusiasm about its success and the benefits of studying indoors. Having experienced self/online learning myself over the years, I knew that BYJU’s model was not sustainable.
Coincidentally, while BYJU was on the rise in 2020, the government also introduced its New Education Policy, and these two unrelated events led to the widespread belief that online learning is the way forward. This inspired me to share my thoughts and experiences with self and/or online education on my blog in 2020.
“Open” and “Online” do not imply that it’s “Easy.” Self-learning requires tremendous discipline to complete even a single module of a course, and many people may struggle to finish. I have experienced this firsthand.
Self-learning, including online learning, demands an environment that is unfortunately lacking in most Indian households.
–>Is there a dedicated study room?
–>Do students have access to proper equipment?
–>Are children disciplined enough at home to follow the curriculum?
–>How closely are parents supervising their children’s studies versus leisure activities?
As one can imagine, self-learning comes with substantial monitoring costs and a steep learning curve for most Indian parents. If parents had received better schooling and understood effective pedagogy, they would know that students, especially up to class 10, require real classroom interactions with teachers and peers.
However, I believe that online and self-learning should be introduced as a subject in class 8, gradually initiating students into a “teacher-less, class-less, and student-to-student forum” environment so that by class 10 or 12, they can confidently pursue higher education with self-motivation.
The key here is to ensure that the online space does not isolate students but rather connects them in groups with a shared goal of mastering a subject.
neerajshrivastav 