EDUCATION & COVID-19 VACCINATION

What can we expect in the education segment?

The novel Coronavirus, has had a devastating effect on the education system worldwide, leading to the closure of schools, colleges, and universities. While this has created chaos in everyone’s life, the educational system willingly rose to the challenge. Technology played its vital role and to deal with the situation mode of education shifted online that opened up opportunities for the present and future. As the world’s largest vaccination drive against novel coronavirus began in India on January 16, 2021, millions of doses of two approved vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin were shipped across the nation in the days following the start of the drive. The vaccination drive started off across the entire nation resulting in completing 4 Million covid-19 vaccination mark in 18 days vs. 39 days in the UK and 20 days in the USA since January 16, when the mass inoculation drive against COVID-19 was launched. Priority was given to our healthcare workers, doctors and frontline workers including Safai Karamcharis.

In January, India had approved two vaccines for emergency use — first, Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech and second Covishield from the Oxford/AstraZeneca stable and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India to ensure a “decisive victory” against the pandemic. Meanwhile, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, as well as Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, urged people to come out and get a jab in a bid to lower the Covid-19 mortality rate in the country.

There arises a possibility that for both students and educators, a complete return to in-person learning may not be all that far with covid-19 vaccines drive already in place. The blended way of learning has already begun with both online and offline modes of learning being adopted in current times.

The top private university in Rajasthan, Poornima University has anticipated positivity for the forthcoming academic years. The entire credit goes to our students who have showcased patience throughout the global pandemic and supported us in all glitches of this online era. “The best place to learn is a classroom” so let’s pledge to strategize and help the government bodies in successful execution of vaccination which shall further strengthen us to normalizing day to day situations and start our offline learning.

Effect on the International Education Market

Agencies in the UN are working closely with authorities to prepare and launch the world’s biggest vaccination drive with Indian government already vaccinating approximately half of million people.

Apart from Brazil, Covid vaccines are also being shipped from India to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The UK government confirmed that Indian students studying in the UK will be provided the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost. COVID-19 Vaccine Gives Hope to International Students.

According to a survey released by higher education company, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) approximately about a quarter of international students are looking forward to their overseas study plans taking into account the latest COVID-19 vaccine news.

Considering the prospective students planning to study abroad, a covid-19 vaccine drive will surely clear up the hurdles in their path. This is encouraging news for the future of global higher education.

A return to normality won’t be immediate. But a COVID-19 vaccine has had a positive impact on the way international students are thinking about the year ahead. As a positive development, the Embassy has also started issuing visas to the students who want to study in India.

Vaccine developments this year allow for international students to travel to campus or to consider applying to business school outside of their home country altogether, it looks like good news for the higher education and international and domestic students both.

In all situations, vaccines will act as an insurance policy for continued health and economic shocks from the pandemic.