Bini Dahal

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our way of doing things. Never in my life had I ever thought that there would be a day where we would stay at home and study. Especially, in a country like Nepal where traditional based learning is so popular, the fact that educational institutions are working on becoming technology-friendly is a big surprise.
My association with online classes is a bit of love and hate. Owing to the pandemic, I could not commute to my college. So, staying at home and studying online was comfortable and flexible. Online classes helped my studies to continue smoothly without any gap. It was effective from the aspects of cost and time. I did not have to spend money on transportation and did not have to waste time on travelling back and forth.
And what I realised the most is that my presentation skills had improved. I was confident to present without any practice and surprisingly did well. Also, my ability to use technology had also improved. Before, I was quite unsure of using different applications available online. But now I am comfortable to use them.
Despite many benefits, online classes were not completely easy for me. I was unable to retain my concentration even for 15 minutes. Since all the classes are mostly recorded, I did not feel the need to listen to the lecturer hard. Also, lack of self-discipline made my mind roam around. One funny thing about these classes was that a semester had ended without me being able to see a few of my teachers’ faces.
Likewise, the frequent unstable internet services made it worse. Running around the house with a laptop just to find the internet network was a headache. Information overload was another issue. I felt I was being bombarded with too much information. Writing down points and interrupting teachers during the classes also did not feel easy. I was suffering from a bad headache, eye pain, sore fingers and hands. The number of assignments and presentations to be done were also many. Online exams too were not easy as expected. The different requirements set by the university besides using my brain to write was difficult to fulfill.
Therefore, despite many technologies being designed for the current situation, I will always put my bet on traditional classes. The ability to interact and discuss without being affected mentally and physically is so much better. But the situation created by the coronavirus cannot be ignored. We have to perform as per the demand of our changing time. So, online classes have been highly helpful for education institutions to facilitate teaching and learning activities.
Currently, the number of COVID-19 patients seems to be rising again in many countries gradually. The number, particularly, has multiplied in highly populated countries like India and Brazil. This is why Nepal’s open border with India and the increasing rate of infections there put Nepal in danger.
Therefore, the government should be very careful about controlling the virus transmission. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology must come up with better plans for educational institutions to function smoothly. Now that we have experienced both traditional and virtual mode of education, it is high time we prepared for both modes of learning in an efficient manner. Doing so will help us adjust to the unexpected situation brought by the pandemic in the field of education.