Pandemic And Education: Examining The Right To Education Of Children In India During Covid- 19
- IJLLR Journal
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
Syed Wajid Ul Zafar, Research Scholar, School of Law, University of Kashmir, Srinagar J&K, India
Mudasir Ahmad Ganie, Assistant Professor, KLE Law College, Bengaluru
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on Right to education in India, exacerbating existing disparities and posing significant challenges to the education system. This article examines the multifaceted effects of the pandemic on educational accessibility in India, considering factors such as school closures, remote learning initiatives, socio-economic inequalities, and the digital divide. School closures, mandated to contain the spread of the virus, disrupted traditional modes of education across the country, affecting millions of students. The rapid shift to remote learning highlighted the unequal distribution of resources, with many students lacking access to essential tools such as computers, internet connectivity, and supportive learning environments.
The right to education is universally acknowledged as a fundamental human right, enshrined in numerous international and regional human rights treaties. However, even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries faced significant challenges in fulfilling this promise, with a substantial number of children out of school. When Covid-19 swept across the globe, Governments worldwide implemented lockdown measures to curb its spread. As a result, educational institutions were shuttered, prompting a shift to online learning to safeguard the health of students and educators. This transition to distance education posed a steep learning curve for both teachers and students, including in India, the world's second most populous nation, which grappled with the pandemic's impact. This paper seeks to assess the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on the right to education for children in India, recognizing the critical importance of ensuring access to education as a fundamental human right.
Keywords: Right to Education, Children, Covid-19, Digital Divide, Human Rights
