As the world is fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 130 countries have now closed schools nationwide, impacting nearly 80% of students globally. This is unprecedented; the world has never seen this many children out of school at the same time.
We ask a bunch of Class 12 students how they are coping with the stress, studies and what is keeping them busy and distracted as a second wave of the deadly virus grips the nation forcing it into another lockdown.
Kids are getting more bored by the day. We wish we could go back to school to see our friends. But some of us are also really scared about getting the coronavirus, and we don¡¯t want our friends and family to get it either.That¡¯s what children across the capital of Delhi told India Times when they were asked about learning from home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Swayamdeep Singh Makan who lives in Delhi last went to school on 18th March, 2020, says he misses interacting with his friends and teachers in person, but it has been a learning experience nonetheless.
"Everyone had a tight schedule until Covid supervened. But now life has changed. Most of the students my age are busy being involved in some co-curricular activities. And I believe actively taking part in such activities like gaming, learning a new language or something as basic as singing, is a great way to cope with the ongoing crisis," the 17-year-old student said.
Swayamdeep added, "E-learning methods suggested by schools and coaching institutes are covering all the learning gaps. It might not be a great idea but it is working well for me as of now."??
"I think the situation brings an opportunity and it is the only time where we can discover our interests, work on them and aim for a better future. Making schedules and routines for studying and education is a time saver," he said.
Another 16-year-old student, Arveen Kaur, who attended school on her last day of 10th CBSE board exam is now in Class 12.?Affirming that sitting at home is not as relaxed as it seems, she says "It might be fancy for some, but most of us are facing a lot of challenges that we weren¡¯t trained to face."
She said, "A reasonable balance between studies and entertainment can help kids stay busy and motivated. I have started spending a lot of time researching on the courses I would want to pursue in future, and it has definitely distracted me."
Arveen says she misses school terribly, the fun and the stressful parts alike but can't wait to go back soon.
¡°I¡¯m hoping that things will be back to normal someday,¡± said 14-year-old Vansh Aggarwal. He says home-school is definitely boring, but he really hopes his family and friends can make it through this safely and return to how things used to be.
He said, "You can practice sports at your terrace when you finish your workor wait for a quieter time like 6am. While at school, we had to read silently after finishing. And I love this. I love that I have ample of time to devote to sports now."