“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Online education has drastically changed the way we study but the last few years of attending online classes from home have led to a string of mental and physical health issues for both students and teachers.
Covid-19 has caused destruction and devastation worldwide in ways nobody could anticipate. The world in one way or another came to a standstill. Life as we knew it changed. And this change became the new constant.
Educational institutions took to online teaching. The start of this change felt rather very enticing for the students with not having to rush and get ready to reach the institutions, and being in the comfort of their homes.
The main counts by which education and willpower of man got affected:
Lack of interest: Humans are social animals, and the most introverted ones also need to see faces and have human interactions once in a while. The children have grown to lose interest in their classes.
Most of them switch off the camera and go about their other activities. The lethargy has inculcated a loss of interest in not only the studies but everything overall.
Stress and anxiety: The concentration levels of students dropped in online learning as the eye meanders elsewhere on the screen. This in response made it difficult for most students to keep up with the teachings.
The pressure to concentrate and produce the required results has resulted in a great amount of stress and anxiety. Tasks, assignments, and homework slacked.
Most children were seen lagging behind and succumbing to the pressure. The mental state of the children was fragile and tampered with.
Problem with physical health:
Eyesight problems
Increased screen time has increased the strain on the eyes, resulting in major headaches. This was applicable not only to the students but also to teachers.
Lack of classroom ethics
Classroom ethics have been compromised to great lengths. The posture, regularity, lack of routine, and attentiveness have all resulted in health hazards. Constant sitting has caused weight concerns as well.No physical activity has made the students restless and frustrated. This too took a toll on eating habits, thus resulting in damage to physical health.
Bad ergonomics
Human factors and ergonomics are the application of psychological and physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems.
Studying online has resulted in poor/bad ergonomics, thus resulting in a lot of issues as regards back pain and fibromyalgia pains.
Lack of physical activities
The lack of physical activities has caused children to become obese. Thanks to binge-eating and watching, it’s only gotten worse. Muscle spasms, muscle rigidity, and lack of calcium, etc are all based on a lack of physical activity.
Lack of Vitamin D
Online Education surprisingly has resulted in a lack of Vitamin D. Lack of sunlight, poor diet, and exercise have resulted in more problems than one could anticipate.
Calcium deficiency
As weird as it sounds, the lack of physical activity and calcium has resulted in trivial injuries, thus resulting in extensive injuries further.
One of the biggest challenges of online learning that many students face is the struggle to focus for long durations on screen. Not to mention, there is a plethora of distracting content available online which attracts and distracts students more often than not. To avoid this and help the students stay focused on the class, the teachers have made strenuous efforts and designed their online classes to be crisp, engaging, and interactive. Online classes are not completely reliable as internet connectivity plays a vital role. While access to the internet has drastically improved over the past few years, in some parts of the country, people still lack access to decent internet speed and connectivity. Inconsistent internet connectivity has emerged as one of the top excuses for students to dodge some important requirements such as an active visual presence which is imperative for due vigilance. With the cameras turned off there is a disconnection between the teachers and students. It is observed widely that students would log into the class and then get distracted with other activities. Given that students are free from the regulations and boundaries of an appropriate classroom environment, it is perceived that the curriculum is not given importance by the students. The notebook work may have been taken lightly. There are high chances of the students distracting themselves while learning online. Traditional classroom education offers the benefit of face-to-face interactions with peers which are typically moderated by a teacher. Physical classroom interaction provides children, especially those in their early developmental years, with a stable environment for social interactions, helping them develop skills like empathy and cooperation. It helps them in their overall development and real-life situations.
Can’t forget the positive aspect as well
I believe that learning never stopped, in fact, it evolved itself not just to survive but to thrive and technology has proven to be the most important enabler of the same which in itself is an invention that is an outcome of learning. Technology has helped in learning and learning has led to the advancement of technology. Students need both parents’ and teachers’ guidance as they navigate through this difficult time to learn more and more. Both offline learning and e-learning would go hand-in-hand and online education will eventually become an integral component of school education. Somewhere in the future, education is going to be hybrid. During Covid, technology has become a part of academics and is here to stay. Online applications and programs have helped both teachers and students to develop new skills and capabilities that supported them and enhance their knowledge. Online teaching can not replace the position of traditional classroom teaching and we will need to get back to traditional teaching after the pandemic ends.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that online education initially started as a great advantage but took a drastic turn and didn’t work so much in the same spirit. With the increased screen time, eyesight issues, headaches, and strain have increased a great deal.

The author is a scholar, writer, poet and columnist, and can be reached at [email protected]

Dr Firdoos Ahmad Wani