One of the biggest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has been institutionalised education. Schools have been shut to prevent the spread of the virus and this has given way to online classrooms, a very new concept in India even for the most sophisticated schools. It is commendable how easily some educational institutions have moved to virtual classrooms, all thanks to tools such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams. But there are some still struggling to get online. The online classes, whatever the enabling technology, is only as good as the teachers and the ability of the students to grasp the new teaching technique. One of the teachers felt students are actually more responsive and active in online classrooms, compared to when they are in physical ones. "This could be because this is a new concept and they are excited to explore it with the teachers. They also don't get distracted by their classmates, which frequently happens in a regular class." Teachers do find the absence of a blackboard a disadvantage and network connectivity a constant problem. "We miss the clarity that a blackboard gives us, we are kind of making do with the virtual whiteboard on Zoom." Shweta Kawatra, a parent who teaches in a New Delhi school, highlights that many students have not been able to take advantage of the virtual platform because they do not have a suitable device at home or lack a good internet connection. "It has its own share of disadvantages too. Too much screen time can be perilous for health. Prolonged online sessions can be overwhelming and may lead to problems related to vision, body posture and sleep disorder," Kawatra adds.
[Excerpt from an Article by Sneha Saha, The Indian Express, dated April 18, 2020]
What is the Central Idea of the passage above?
Correct Answer :
None of the above.
Solution :
The correct option is None of the above.
Explanation and Analysis of the Passage:
The provided excerpt discusses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on institutionalised education and the transition to virtual classrooms. It highlights both the advantages (e.g., students being excited and active, absence of peer distractions) and disadvantages (e.g., lack of physical blackboards, network connectivity issues, digital divide/lack of devices, and health hazards like vision problems and sleep disorders associated with excessive screen time).
Evaluating the Options:
1. "Institutionalised education was much better than the current online education system."
The passage presents a balanced view discussing both positive aspects and drawbacks of online education without explicitly declaring institutionalised education as overall "much better."
2. "Institutionalized education cannot be replaced by any other system of education."
The passage does not make an absolute claim about the irreplacability of institutionalised education in general.
3. "Virtual Classroom teaching is a sustainable approach to education in modern times."
The author clearly outlines significant drawbacks of virtual classrooms, such as health risks, technological gaps, and missing physical clarity, meaning it does not position online learning as an unreservedly sustainable solution.
Since none of the three options accurately capture the balanced central theme of the passage, the correct selection is None of the above.
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