Educationally shifting to the new normal of 'Virtual Lectures'

India has rich and diverse history in the field of education since we are one of the most ancient societies of the world. Starting from the ancient Gurukul system, India has kept on evolving to keep up with the changing time. The same changes are observed through time, in the Indian Education system. The recent upgradation of the 'New Education Policy 2020' is evident of the dynamic approach that India has towards Education System. The same period directed the entire world to switch to the virtual platforms of education, in stead of live classrooms. All thanks to the Wuhan virus of COVID 19. Along with the entire world, with an aim to continue the process of education, without any larger interruption, India too adapted to the new normal of education; 'Virtual Lectures.'

 

 

The entire year of 2020 was a year of adjustment for the people as they definitely needed time to adapt to the new normal. The existing risk and fear of the virus was certainly a decisive factor to direct the people towards virtual platforms in order to continue the process of learning. On the other hand, the same period also provided people with the time to explore various fields of knowledge that was not possible for such a long time because of their daily routine. The brighter picture that comes up of the pandemic is that since the people were exposed to various areas of knowledge, the process of education that had become largely mechanized was transformed into a better version. The core purpose of education which was initially only to achieve a better job and employment opportunity was due to the exposure, diverted towards seeking knowledge selflessly.

 

Humans are naturally born with a curiosity to investigate the details of the universe. The areas of interest to explore further definitely vary from person to person. But as individuals grow up, this curiosity fades away due the numerous roles that the individual has to perform in the society. The recent period, through online education and virtual lectures has certainly provided a solution to this problem and extended the scope of every individual's growth on a personal level. The period was marked with introspection of personal abilities, skills and interests resulting into a realization of the fact that human lives are no assets to income and education is not a means to achieve a luxurious life.

 

The purpose of education, that was highly observed around all the philosophical schools of ancient India, despite of their differences in approach, was to achieve enlightenment. Thus, education was a medium to achieve enlightenment and not to a better material life. The recent period has triggered a similar thought process around individuals, leading them to learn about various fields of their interest and the only viable platforms to reveal their curiosities in their fields of interest through the process of education were the 'virtual lectures'. Thus, India, along with the rest of the world, is in a revolutionary process of educationally shifting to the new normal of 'Virtual Lectures.'