Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the shutdown of schools and other educational institutions has forced teachers and students to carry out their academic tasks through online platforms. Online learning, although not new, has never been so widely implemented, raising concerns that this method might be widening the gap between the rich and poor in education. In my opinion, distance learning has put a tremendous toll on low-income families and made it more difficult for their kids to gain access to education.
To begin with, low-quality technology and internet service at home is a huge roadblock for many students. It is expected that digital devices and online services crash from time to time due to high demand, and that alone can cause long interruptions to the studying process and bring about frustration among teachers and students alike. But for low-income households, the problem is even more distressing. In Vietnam, it is estimated that among the 7 million students taking online classes, about 1. 5 million don't have computers or other devices needed to carry on studying. Secondly, the role of parents is undeniable when it comes to children’s remote studying. However, for the majority of low-earning guardians in the pandemic, they have hands-on jobs that can’t be done from home and don’t have enough technical skills to support their children. Finally, remote learning makes students more prone to distractions, especially from their surroundings, for example, another family member’s daily routine or the online learning of their sibling. In low-class families whose living space is often small and clustered, the risk of frequent distractions and interruption is much higher.
With regards to the solutions to improve this situation, I believe that students from poorer backgrounds benefit the most from technological support, for example establishing high-speed internet hotspots in low-income areas as well as providing technical troubleshooting lessons for children and parents through online platforms or by simply handing out instruction leaflets. Recordings of class sessions or at least learning materials should also be made available so that students don’t miss out in the event of technical errors or revise whenever they need.
In conclusion, online learning brings about major challenges for students from low-income households, such as lack of internet connectivity, a shortage of devices, and constant interruptions from outside elements. However, we can tackle these problems by providing technical support, learning devices as well as course materials.
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the shutdown of schools and other educational institutions has forced teachers and
students
to carry out their academic tasks through
online
platforms.
Online
learning
, although not new, has never been
so
widely
implemented, raising concerns that this method might be widening the gap between the rich and poor in education. In my opinion, distance
learning
has put a tremendous toll on low-income families and made it more difficult for their kids to gain access to education.
To
begin
with, low-quality technology and internet service at home is a huge roadblock for
many
students
. It is
expected
that digital
devices
and
online
services crash from time to time due to high demand, and that alone can cause long interruptions to the studying process and bring about frustration among teachers and
students
alike.
But
for low-income households, the problem is even more distressing. In Vietnam, it
is estimated
that among the 7 million
students
taking
online
classes, about 1. 5 million don't have computers or other
devices
needed to carry on studying.
Secondly
, the role of parents is undeniable when it
comes
to children’s remote studying.
However
, for the majority of low-earning guardians in the pandemic, they have hands-on jobs that can’t
be done
from home and don’t have
enough
technical
skills
to support their children.
Finally
, remote
learning
makes
students
more prone to distractions,
especially
from their surroundings,
for example
, another family member’s daily routine or the
online
learning
of their sibling. In low-
class
families whose living space is
often
small
and clustered, the
risk
of frequent distractions and interruption is much higher.
With regards to
the solutions to
improve
this situation, I believe that
students
from poorer backgrounds benefit the most from technological support,
for example
establishing high-speed internet hotspots in low-income areas
as well
as providing
technical
troubleshooting lessons for children and parents through
online
platforms or by
simply
handing out instruction leaflets. Recordings of
class
sessions or at least
learning
materials should
also
be made
available
so
that
students
don’t miss out in the
event
of
technical
errors or revise whenever they need.
In conclusion
,
online
learning
brings about major challenges for
students
from low-income households, such as lack of internet connectivity, a shortage of
devices
, and constant interruptions from outside elements.
However
, we can tackle these problems by providing
technical
support,
learning
devices
as well
as course materials.