Stigma of Back To Back Online Classes
| Prof. (Dr.) Bhanu Pratap Singh, VC, MUIT, Lko, UP, India - 30 Dec 2021

Impact of Online Classes on Mental Health  

How the back to back online classes are taking a toll on the mental and physical health of students at large and ways to addressing this alarming issue

By Dr. Bhanu Pratap Singh

The Covid-19 pandemic hit us all almost without any warning. We had to deal with the situation with the existing resource although everyone did build up on the means to fight our way through such alarming conditions in days to come. The life was affected to the core with even the basic facilities being crippled for both rich and poor together.

The government took extreme measures of imposing a lockdown to curtail the spread of infection which changed the normal routine of human being globally. One only thought of being safe from infection initially and every other thing like manufacturing units, schools, transport were brought to a stop, but, that could not go forever. Gradually, the government started thinking of ways and means to run the basic supply units followed by schools besides many other important sectors.

The academics, like any other sector was badly hit, as the academic institutions, except a few,were unprepared in terms of infrastructure for imparting online education. However, once the Government suggested it as an option, the academic institutions geared up and started rolling with online classes.

So, the online education started but the parents and students were still not so prepared, though they joined in the decision, some wholeheartedly, some halfheartedly and some other had to wait for situation to become normal due to various reasons. 

Nevertheless, the students who started taking online classes had lot in store for them, good and bad which no one had foreseen but experienced by and by. Each academic institution took it as a challenge with an aim to perform better than others in the arena as the parents were going through a tough situation with other priorities at hand.

In this situation, the schools were seeing the numbers dropping and just imposed a schedule of online classes and activities on the parents and students both, without much brainstorming. There were back to back classes clubbed with activities to keep the student busy without being sensitive and visualizing the adverse effects. In later part, the situation did improve somewhat when the parents started complaining and the government also intervened. First of all the online classes and that too back to back, increased the anxiety level of both students and parents. The parents who were so protective and apprehensive of allowing screentime on cell phones/tablets/laptops had to hand over that same gadget to their wards unhindered.

The students also became mentally pressurized about attendance as many of them were not well equipped with means of attending classes regularly. The online classes being conducted back to back was highly insensitive on the part of the academic institutions for not only students but also teachers and parents. Both mental and physical health of the students was affected which any of us can understand without being apprised of it. Anything done to an extreme is never good and affects our health immensely. The students were complaining about headaches, bodyache, discomfort to eyes, along with sleeplessness, interrupted sleep cycles etc. leading to related ailments. The students were not allowed any breaks and they could not move out of the vision of the teacher during the classes as camera had to be switched-on, all the time.

The students were new to this mode of education and they were unable to grasp and focus after a certain time duration which affected their understanding of the lessons, leading to anxiety, stress and depression. This was all new to them and their parents and they did not even realize that they were undergoing something like depression. Many of us now being aware of such things, very clearly realize that such conditions, if left unattended can have long term deleterious effects but can be curbed with proper counseling and guidance. Another important aspect which added to the situation was that the students, like everyone else, were confined and cut off from active social interaction. It took a great toll on mental and physical wellbeing of the students too.

As the time passed by and people started getting the grip of the situation, they also realized that the pandemic was there to stay for a while. So, the academic institutions, like most other sectors reviewed their strategies and improved upon them so as to survive in the business. The academic institutions reduced the duration of classes at length. They also allowed the students to choose the class timings, from the available time slots. The mode of imparting education also improved with updation of online platforms. The classes became more interactive. The institutions also became liberal about 100% attendance, the exam systems were mellowed down. Self-study and remedial class material was made available to students to learn at their own pace and also make up for missed out classes. 

The class schedule had several extra-curricular and co-curricular activities interspersed between the classes which kept them engaged and at the same time helped to relive their stress. Many academic institutions planned mandatory meditation and/or yoga breaks. Some education institutions organized online yoga and meditation retreats. They also organized guidance and counseling sessions for both parent and their wards.

With improvement of situation in later days, the academic institutions moved towards hybrid/blended mode which is being adopted as new normal instead of an alternative for a short term.

Image Source - Online Classes - Deccan Chronicle

DE_uiowa/header_photo - Twitter

Writer Prof. (Dr.) Bhanu Pratap Singh is Vice Chancellor of MUIT, Lko, UP, India

Prof. Singh is an eminent educationist and a thorough professional with 20 years Administrative, Research, Teaching and 9 years Industry experience. With expertise in Mechanical Engineering, his area of interest pertains mainly to Bio-fuels, Thermodynamic Modeling and V.C.R. Engine. He has also worked as Director at S.C.E.T Ghaziabad (2016 - 2017) and Director at MIT, Moradabad, (2017 - 2019). Email: vc@muit.in


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