If Work from a Remote Place is Acceptable Then Why Attending Classes from a Distance is Not Acceptable?

Today's Indian Express has news on difficulties in hunting a home away from home. It is observed that finding find a place near the college is expensive and it is not easy to stay in a city like Pune away from home, especially for those who come for the undergraduate course from small cities or towns. If one comes from a distant place visiting home often too is not easy, neither is it possible for the parents to reach the child often physically. So anxiety prevails at both ends. It is difficult to evolve a support system that one is used to depend on.

During the Corona phase, the education system used technology to reach students. A couple of days ago UNESCO published a report on the use of technology in education. It cautioned all to use it judiciously, but did not advise banning its use, rather put forth some areas where it could work effectively. Why should technology not be used in such cases?

When it comes to attending classes, why should the facility to join from a distance be refused by students? Can the compulsion of attending the class personally be done away with? One should be able to enroll for a course with any college or institute of one's choice and get guidance from the native place. At least for the courses which have more of classroom teaching. Regular lectures may be attended from a distance following the schedule with a discipline where the attendance would be marked or would be mandatory.

Maybe a separate system is to be developed for such a class which is possible now. Some time may be allotted for interaction where the students can discuss some points or get an explanation from the teacher. Even the submission of papers and assessments can be done online, suggestions may be shared online or may be discussed in a small session. For the oral or written examination, the candidates may come to the college or maybe off-campus centers can be set up for the examinations. Some solutions can be found using technology.

Getting accommodated in the new setup is not easy, as some undergraduate courses occupy a small time of the day. Keeping oneself engaged is a problem sometimes. No regular interaction with family may result in getting attracted to the wrong company. ( There are many problems related to this point which is not the focus of the write-up, so not discussed at length. ) It does create serious issues. There are many options for learning new things, but again it needs money to be invested which makes the stay even costlier. This causes some anxiety constantly.

This kind of approach would give a lot of freedom and a wide choice of selecting the institution and courses for students. This would probably make education more inclusive, affordable, and accessible too.

Many employees to upgrade their skills enroll in some courses outside the country too. Many renowned universities provide such facilities and give suitable timing and days to the working fraternity. They keep upgrading themselves as their work demands it. These certifications are approved everywhere.

Now some positions are offered as work-from-home modules. Employees work from any part of the country, they are hardly expected to visit the office. Corona phase helped all to realize this. Anyone can access the system from different locations, and it works well with some kinds of roles.

Technology ought to be used to enhance the reach of the education system, not to replace it with technology.