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Correspondence between Priyansa Kumari <\/strong>(student at Xavier Institute of Social Service \u2013 Ranchi) and Aida Badaoui <\/strong>(\u00e9tudiante \u00e0 l’Universit\u00e9 Mohammed Premier \u2013 Oujda) <\/p>\n\n\n\n During these unprecedented times of COVID-19, distance learning initiatives\nwere adopted to guarantee that quality education continued unimpeded. New ways\nwere found to include underprivileged children, who are often ignored. As was very\nwell said by Nelson Mandela, \u2018Education is the most powerful weapon which you\ncan use to change the world\u2019. This pandemic was an opportunity to turn our\nantennas towards the provision of uninterrupted quality learning. While schools\nmight not be replaced, distance learning methods have the flexibility to\ncomplement existing education programmes in ways that effectively integrate\nthose who would otherwise be neglected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the traditional education system, underprivileged children who cannot\nafford quality education are overlooked, but distance learning and online\neducation should have opened doors for those children. Due to extended school\nclosures, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased risk of\ndropout, especially for vulnerable children and girls. According to UNICEF,\ntens of thousands of girls have been subjected to early and forced marriage\nsince the beginning of the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite this dire situation, the pandemic presents an opportunity to \u2018build\nback fair\u2019 by implementing a commitment to gender equity in and through\neducation. In order to do so, girls must be prioritized in national education\nrecovery plans, with fair access to distance learning and opportunities to\ndevelop digital skills. Unfortunately, providing education and even their\nchildren\u2019s meals is not possible for many poor households. The impact of being\nout of school thus affects children mentally, socially and emotionally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SDG 4 sets out to \u2018Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and\npromote lifelong learning opportunities for all\u2019. We found ways to adhere to the\naims of SDG 4 during this crisis, and various strategies aimed at sustainable\neducation and fighting against inequality arose. Every child is born for great\nthings that can be realized by providing them quality education. Some equitable\nsolutions and strategies adopted to address the challenges of inclusive\nliteracy included the provision of computers, tablets and smartphones to as\nmany children as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Various institutions addressed these issues by making use of WhatsApp.\nStudents do not need extensive support to start using the platform and it is a\nvery easy tool to use, through which they can receive regular plans, chapters\nto read, homework via messages, photos and voice notes, or explanatory videos\non various topics. While this solution represents increased screen time, it also\nfaced problems relating to internet bandwidth and usability as barriers to\naccess to education. However, through the joint effort of UNICEF and other\nlearning institutions, the flagship channels of various broadcasters were\nleveraged and curriculum with educational content was broadcast. Naturally,\nthis has its drawbacks because contact between teachers and students is purely\none-way. However, it can be used to teach less complex topics and to spread\nmessages concerning health and knowledge to students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Virtual classes and a virtual curriculum were thus rolled out. In public\ninstitutions such as libraries and community centres, the government has made\narrangements to provide spaces for students to pursue education. They also\nstream content on government-run education channels, available free of charge\non cable networks, DTH and over the internet. Teachers are responsible for\nreaching out to students and finding out if they face any difficulties accessing\nthe services. While in villages and hamlets, NGOs and local bodies have set up\nshared spaces to access virtual material, there are still some students from\ntribal communities, coastal areas and migrant workers\u2019 families who find it\ndifficult to access these services. They need specific attention and\npreparation to be able to do so. Homeless families are visited by teachers from\ntheir children\u2019s school every day with laptops, downloading lectures that were\nstreamed the previous day. By bringing masks and sanitizers for all, they also took\nimportant safety measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The school authorities had to do a lot of persuading of parents to\nconvince them to let their children continue lessons, as parents were\napprehensive that their children might get COVID-19. These institutions should\nbe commended for their efforts. Appropriate facilities such as covered learning\nspaces were provided to continue education without disruption. Various NGOs\nalso rolled out mobile learning centres for children living in slum areas or on\nthe street and who were not part of the formal education system, as well as a\ntemporary learning centre to assist children in emergencies. In the former\ncase, the idea was to provide these children with education because they were\nunable to go to school, and in the latter case, education kits were distributed\nin the facilities set up to assist the children in extraordinary situations to\ncontinue to learn. Some of these resources have been used to assist other\ngroups during COVID-19 as well. Schools could implement either of these\nprogrammes for students who do not have the means of accessing any educational\nservices from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe that many wonderful initiatives were taken by schools, NGOs\nand government bodies by using platforms that were widely available to all,\nsuch as radio and national television channels. Of course, teachers made\nadditional efforts to compensate for the time lost, such as longer weekdays, changes\nto the weekends or holidays, restructuring and amending the academic calendar\nto accommodate extensions. It is incredibly difficult to regard this as a\nsubstitute for regular studies, but it is absolutely understandable that\nfull-fledged classes could not proceed during these uncertain times. This\nshould not, however, bring a complete full stop to learning during these\nunprecedented times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Priyansa Kumari La situation au Maroc n\u2019\u00e9tait pas tr\u00e8s diff\u00e9rente de la v\u00f4tre. La\nd\u00e9cision de cesser d\u2019aller \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9cole, prise par la plupart des gouvernements,\net d\u2019inviter la population \u00e0 se r\u00e9fugier chez soi, a g\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 une situation\nnouvelle, aussi inattendue que complexe. Face \u00e0 une telle situation, personne\nne s\u2019attendait \u00e0 un miracle en mati\u00e8re de qualit\u00e9 des apprentissages, puisqu\u2019il\na fallu passer du jour au lendemain d\u2019un enseignement qui se d\u00e9roulait\nint\u00e9gralement dans l\u2019enceinte de ce qu\u2019on appelle l\u2019\u00e9cole, \u00e0 un enseignement\nenti\u00e8rement \u00e0 distance de celle-ci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Il a fallu transformer tout un syst\u00e8me \u00e9ducatif, passer d\u2019une\nconfiguration bas\u00e9e depuis des si\u00e8cles sur l\u2019accueil des \u00e9l\u00e8ves et des \u00e9tudiants\ndans un espace d\u00e9di\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019apprentissage \u00e0 une tout autre configuration, nouvelle\npour chacun, o\u00f9 l\u2019\u00e9cole devait se d\u00e9placer vers l\u2019apprenant, dans son domicile.\nLa distanciation physique entre enseignement et apprentissage, et le\nd\u00e9placement de l\u2019\u00e9cole vers la maison induisent une situation trop complexe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Le Maroc, comme la majorit\u00e9 des pays, ne disposait pas d\u2019une strat\u00e9gie\npr\u00e9alable pour faire face \u00e0 cette situation inattendue. En plus de cela, nous\navions besoin de solutions \u00ab toutes pr\u00eates \u00bb pour faire face \u00e0 des besoins\naussi \u00e9normes. Il fallait tout d\u2019abord trouver un moyen utile qui puisse\ntoucher une large population d\u2019\u00e9l\u00e8ves, surtout dans les zones rurales et\nsemi-urbaines, peu ou pas connect\u00e9es \u00e0 l\u2019internet. Pour cela, le minist\u00e8re de\nl\u2019\u00e9ducation nationale a pris des d\u00e9cisions marquantes, notamment la cr\u00e9ation de\nplusieurs plateformes p\u00e9dagogiques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A titre d\u2019exemple, la plateforme Taalim.ma est un syst\u00e8me qui fournit\ndes fonctionnalit\u00e9s importantes permettant aux enseignants de communiquer\ndirectement avec leurs \u00e9tudiants et d\u2019organiser des cours d\u2019enseignement \u00e0\ndistance \u00e0 travers des classes virtuelles. Ces derni\u00e8res permettent aux\n\u00e9tudiants de s\u2019impliquer dans le processus \u00e9ducatif et ce \u00e0 travers des\nexpos\u00e9s, des textes num\u00e9riques ou des technologies audio ou vid\u00e9o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A l\u2019instar de l\u2019enseignement scolaire, l\u2019enseignement sup\u00e9rieur, pour sa\npart, s\u2019est mobilis\u00e9 pour lutter contre cette \u00e9pid\u00e9mie. Chaque universit\u00e9\nmarocaine dispose de sa propre plateforme. Il est \u00e9vident qu\u2019aujourd\u2019hui, les\n\u00e9tudiants ont leur compte institutionnel qui leur permet d\u2019acc\u00e9der \u00e0 ces\nplateformes, carrefour d\u2019\u00e9change d\u2019informations et de partage de documents. Les\n\u00e9tudiants sont relativement initi\u00e9s \u00e0 ce genre de plateformes telles que Moodle\nou Google Classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n En outre, les cha\u00eenes nationales (Attaqafia, La\u00e2youne, Arrabiaa) ont\narr\u00eat\u00e9 leurs programmes pour diffuser les contenus des diff\u00e9rents cycles de\nl\u2019enseignement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certains enseignants, avec les moyens du bord dont ils disposent, ont eu\nrecours aux r\u00e9seaux sociaux les plus utilis\u00e9s dans le pays pour rester en\ncontact avec leurs apprenants en utilisant Facebook ou plus particuli\u00e8rement\nWhatsApp. Les canaux de communication habituels leur permettant de partager les\ndocuments avec leurs apprenants. Ils ont fait avec ce qu\u2019ils avaient et ce\nqu\u2019ils savaient. C\u2019est la d\u00e9finition m\u00eame du bricolage. Leur but \u00e9tait noble :\nprolonger les contacts avec leurs \u00e9l\u00e8ves et \u00e9viter le d\u00e9crochage des\napprenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cependant, en d\u00e9pit des r\u00e9sultats encourageants et probants obtenus,\nforce est de constater que l\u2019exp\u00e9rience de l\u2019enseignement \u00e0 distance au Maroc a\nmontr\u00e9 quelques limites. D\u2019ailleurs, Il fallait s\u2019en douter, des\nressources num\u00e9riques produites dans l\u2019urgence ne pouvaient pas respecter les\nexigences de qualit\u00e9 requises. Si nous y ajoutons le manque ou l\u2019insuffisance\nde formation p\u00e9dagogique des enseignants, coupl\u00e9s \u00e0 une insuffisante ma\u00eetrise\ndes outils num\u00e9riques, les r\u00e9sultats de l\u2019enseignement \u00e0 distance \u00e9taient\npr\u00e9visibles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La fracture num\u00e9rique est non seulement pr\u00e9sente du c\u00f4t\u00e9 des enseignants,\nmais aussi du c\u00f4t\u00e9 des apprenants qui n\u2019ont pas les moyens financiers d\u2019acqu\u00e9rir\nun smartphone, une tablette, un ordinateur ou une connexion Internet. La\nplupart des familles marocaines n\u2019ont pas d\u2019argent \u00e0 d\u00e9penser pour les choses de premi\u00e8re n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 , encore moins\npour une carte de recharge. Cette inaccessibilit\u00e9 a mis hors-jeu les \u00e9l\u00e8ves\nsocialement vuln\u00e9rables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 60 km de Rabat, la capitale politique, plus pr\u00e9cis\u00e9ment dans les\nr\u00e9gions de Tiflet et de Sidi Allal el Bahraoui, un village sous-d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 o\u00f9\nles signes patents de pauvret\u00e9 ne plaident pas en faveur d\u2019un enseignement \u00e0\ndistance, m\u00eame l\u2019enseignement pr\u00e9sentiel dans ce monde rural paup\u00e9ris\u00e9 n\u2019est\npas adapt\u00e9 du fait du mauvais \u00e9tat de plusieurs \u00e9coles et salles de classes,\ndes ensembles scolaires tr\u00e8s mal entretenus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plusieurs familles de petits agriculteurs se sont dites incapables\nd\u2019assurer l\u2019enseignement \u00e0 distance, ainsi l\u2019exemple d\u2019une m\u00e8re de famille, veuve\net aux ressources limit\u00e9es, interrog\u00e9e par un site d\u2019information au Maroc,\ndemande aux autorit\u00e9s locales de contribuer davantage au d\u00e9veloppement de la\nr\u00e9gion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00ab Je manque de presque tout. L\u2019ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re, mes enfants ont\nsouffert du manque de transport scolaire qui n\u2019a pas bien fonctionn\u00e9. Comment voulez-vous\nque, moi analphab\u00e8te, je puisse aider mes enfants \u00e0 s\u2019instruire \u00e0 l\u2019aide\nd\u2019Internet. C\u2019est impossible, a-t-elle lanc\u00e9. \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plusieurs autres paysans ont invit\u00e9 les membres du gouvernement \u00e0 venir\nconstater d\u2019eux-m\u00eames leurs p\u00e9nibles conditions de vie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proposer un enseignement \u00e0 distance aux \u00e9l\u00e8ves de parents pauvres issus\ndu monde rural est une absurdit\u00e9. De plus, proposer \u00e9galement un enseignement\npr\u00e9sentiel dans des \u00e9coles rurales d\u00e9munies d\u2019eau, de savon, de toilettes et\nd\u2019\u00e9lectricit\u00e9 est une aberration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Il a, en outre, \u00e9t\u00e9 constat\u00e9 que les \u00e9coliers, les coll\u00e9giens et les\nlyc\u00e9ens n\u2019avaient pas l\u2019habitude d\u2019exploiter ce nouveau mode d\u2019apprentissage \u00e0\ndistance. Ils se retrouvent bombard\u00e9s de ressources num\u00e9riques et ne savent \u00e0\nquel saint se vouer, notamment si les parents sont incapables de leur venir en\naide. Et la plupart du temps, les \u00e9l\u00e8ves utilisent\nl\u2019internet dans des domaines sans rapport avec l\u2019\u00e9ducation et ignorent la\nresponsabilit\u00e9 qui leur est donn\u00e9e en l\u2019absence d\u2019orientation et de supervision\ndes enseignants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n L\u2019\u00e9chec de l\u2019enseignement \u00e0 distance est patent, comme le prouve la d\u00e9cision\ngouvernementale de ne consid\u00e9rer comme effectif que l\u2019apprentissage effectu\u00e9\navant la fermeture des \u00e9coles survenue le 14 mars 2020 pour passer l\u2019examen du\nbaccalaur\u00e9at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enfin, nous estimons que cette pand\u00e9mie du Coronavirus devra nous servir\nde le\u00e7on et nous pr\u00e9parer \u00e0 d\u2019\u00e9ventuels risques \u00e0 l\u2019avenir et permettre aux\nenseignants et aux apprenants de se familiariser avec ces nouveaux modes\nd\u2019enseignement afin de surmonter les difficult\u00e9s qui peuvent surgir\ninopin\u00e9ment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salutations<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aida Badaoui Greetings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks a lot for writing such an insightful letter, it gave me many insights\ninto the repercussions of COVID-19 for education and the steps taken to tackle\nthe pandemic in Morocco. You not only addressed the steps taken to provide\nuninterrupted learning but also possible shortcomings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In India, during the COVID-19 pandemic, immediate interventions included\nmoving the teaching process online through various platforms such as Microsoft\nTeams and Google Classroom, or performing online tests using Proctor and\ndeveloping material appropriate for remote learning. Transitioning to this \u2018online\nmode\u2019 has, however, been fraught with lot of difficulties and challenges.\nRestricted internet connectivity, lack of uninterrupted power supply,\nill-equipped teachers, lack of a comprehensive monitoring system, difficulties\nreplicating the rapport between teachers and students in an online environment,\nbridging the impersonal experience of online space, are just a few of the\nissues. This pandemic accelerated education inequality. As for people who were\nable to afford it, they bought a lot of electronic goods such as tablets,\nsmartphones and learning pods, while a lot of underprivileged people were\nunable to access them. Here, in every government school across India, we also\nhave a midday meal scheme, where children who go to school are given a\nnutritious diet to promote their holistic growth. This came to halt and had a\nlot of ill effects on children\u2019s health. Going to school also helps them to\nmake friends and grow socially, or allows parents to work during the day while\ntheir children are at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This pandemic increased the screen time of children and university\nstudents through the online mode of learning. There are benefits and drawbacks\nof taking online courses. Student mental health has improved in schools that\ndelivered engaging online courses, as well as co-curricular events and daily\npeer-to-peer contact. However, it has also become monotonous for some,\nresulting in an increase in anxiety and hyperactivity among children. There\nhave been a few suicide cases in India because bright minds from\nunderprivileged backgrounds were unable to access online education due to lack\nof funding. This caused a lot of anxiety and mental strain, as they were unable\nto keep up with the curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This led the government and some NGOs to explore the concept of \u2018Each\none, Teach one\u2019, coined by Dr Frank Laubach. The idea behind the motto is that \u2018if\nunderprivileged students cannot come to education, education must go to them\u2019\nas Swami Vivekanand explained. It gave the opportunity to many promising young\npeople in India to serve as part-time teachers for children from low-income\ncommunities. When conventional teaching methods are used online, they can\njeopardize the effectiveness of teaching. If one considers the effects of COVID-19\nin India, it is estimated that 320 million learners are affected. India is one\nof the countries that has been impacted in a variety of ways. Despite the obstacles,\nIndia has shown its commitment to supporting the education of its future\ngenerations. It is no secret that a good education has the power to change the\nlife and future of an entire nation. The growth of education is parallel to the\nfuture of our country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Priyansa Kumari A la suite de notre r\u00e9cente conversation, je tiens \u00e0 vous remercier\nchaleureusement pour les informations capitales que vous avez bien voulu me\nfournir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n La pand\u00e9mie de la COVID-19 a boulevers\u00e9 nos vies. Au Maroc comme en\nInde, elle a contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 \u00e9largir le foss\u00e9 entre la classe ais\u00e9e et les classes\nd\u00e9favoris\u00e9e, sans oublier l\u2019impact psychologique n\u00e9gatif du confinement observ\u00e9\nsur les \u00e9l\u00e8ves. Heureusement, cela n\u2019est pas all\u00e9 ici jusqu\u2019au suicide.\nPeut-\u00eatre est-ce d\u00fb au fait que le Maroc est un pays islamique et que le\nsuicide est l\u2019une des interdictions majeures de l\u2019islam, sinon la situation\naurait \u00e9t\u00e9 catastrophique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avec l\u2019avancement et le d\u00e9veloppement des technologies et de la\ncommunication, la formation \u00e0 distance est devenue une n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 urgente,\nnotamment en temps de crise, comme la propagation d\u2019\u00e9pid\u00e9mies et de virus qui\nn\u00e9cessitent une distanciation sociale. C\u2019est l\u2019\u00e8re de la transformation\nnum\u00e9rique de l\u2019\u00e9ducation malgr\u00e9 tout le monde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cette crise ne sera peut-\u00eatre pas la derni\u00e8re, Dieu seul le sait, mais\nles scientifiques, surtout les sp\u00e9cialistes du climat, s\u2019attendent \u00e0 d\u2019autres\ncrises encore plus graves. Les gouvernements seront mis au d\u00e9fi de prendre les\npr\u00e9cautions ad\u00e9quates pour que l\u2019\u00e9cole soit mieux pr\u00e9par\u00e9e \u00e0 ces situations.\nN\u2019est-ce pas le moment opportun pour que le monde retienne les le\u00e7ons des erreurs,\net avance vers un destin meilleur en appliquant le concept de l\u2019humanit\u00e9\napprenante ? Il n\u2019est jamais trop tard pour mieux agir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aida Badaoui Correspondence between Priyansa Kumari (student at Xavier Institute of Social Service \u2013 Ranchi) and Aida Badaoui (\u00e9tudiante \u00e0 l’Universit\u00e9 Mohammed … <\/p>\nDear Aida,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
22-Feb-2021, Ranchi<\/p>\n\n\n\nCh\u00e8re Priyansa,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
26-FEV-2021, Oujda<\/p>\n\n\n\nDear Aida,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2-March-2021, Ranchi<\/p>\n\n\n\nCh\u00e8re Priyansa,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3-Mars-2021, Oujda<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"