The definition of a school has undergone significant changes this year. In the absence of in-person classes, children had to turn to ed-tech and online education platforms like Byju’s. As COVID-19 persists, we need to reflect on what we have learnt from this year. What are the different ways in which children can learn? How do we recognise these forms of education? What is the role of teachers as facilitators? One of the key focus areas of the panel will be imagining a world where children can easily be certified on their learning levels without needing to enrol in a physical school. In addition, the panel will focus on re-aligning the education system to focus on funding students, and not schools.

Budget private schools have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 in school education. Budget private schools charge nominal fees, and cater to economically weaker sections across India. Approximately 90 million children from low-income households attend 400,000 budget private schools. As parents struggled to pay fees, many of these schools had to shut down. This has only widened the “disadvantaged” gap between children from different income-classes in India. What should we change for the future? How do we ensure our policies accommodate the new realities? Schools should be recognised as “industry” or as micro, small, and medium enterprises. This will allow them to access bridge-financing to tide over disasters such as the current pandemic. More importantly, this status will encourage commercial investment in the sector and boost quality education for all.