COVID-19 has exacerbated the crisis in Indian school education. While learning outcomes were already poor across private and government schools, a substantial number of private schools have or are about to shut down due to delayed fee collection, pushing a large number of students out of schools. People have also raised concerns over prolonged school closures and escalation in child labour. In this backdrop, the Cabinet released the National Education Policy 2020. The Policy recognises the need to re-engineer our regulatory processes in a manner that not only ensures a safe learning environment but also improves learning outcomes. It recommends the formation of regulatory bodies such as state standard-setting authority, PARAKH, and strengthening the National Institute of Open Schooling. For this, the first panel will address the role of regulatory agencies in a post-COVID world.

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.