Lived Experiences for Online Teaching during ...

Lived Experiences for Online Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lakshadweep

Author Name : Maimoonath Attabi P.V

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56025/IJARESM.2022.1081009

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable economic impact worldwide, includingin Lakshadweep, and was soon declared an international public health issue. The education sector in Lakshadweep, specifically school (K-12) education and Higher Education, has seen a staggering impactdue to obstacles in delivering alternative forms of education during the pandemic. Educational institutions in Lakshadweep closed on March 13, 2020, and then, on April 13, 2020, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, announced the launch of a “tele-schooling” initiative. Teaching staff, who are arguably the most vital resource in any schooling system, faced considerable physical, mental, and financial challenges due to an overnight shift to an online mode of teaching, with issues concerning inadequate digital pedagogical knowledge and infrastructure limitations relating mostly to power connectivity. The current study investigated the perception of Lakshadweep student teachers regarding their online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, a qualitative research strategy was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted via Skype with 20 student teachers from Lakshadweep’s renowned College of Education Lakshadweep, Kavaratti. Structuredinductive data analysis method was used in analyzing the collected data. The study’s results highlighted the issues and challenges confronted by student teachers in online lessons via WhatsApp, Zoom, video  and Microsoft Teams such as high-cost Internet packages, uncooperative learners, low attendance of learners, teachers’ technology confidence, limited availability of educational resources, lack of ICT knowledge, and poor network infrastructure. However, the creativity, dedication, and community spirit which theteachers demonstrated in working with very limited facilities were exemplary.Hence, based on the study’s findings, changes were proposed as a way forward. It is hoped that the study’s findings will help policymakers and the Department of Education in Lakshadweep to focus more on human capital development, interpersonal development, communication and technology management training, and support programs, especially for student teachers as the foundation of the next and future generations.

Keywords: COVID-19, learner, teacher, online platform, technology challenge, COVID-19 pandemic, Lakshadweep.