Impact of COVID-19 on Virtual Schooling: Insights from Elementary School Teachers in Aspirational Districts of the North-East Region of India

The study investigated the social, economic, and technical impacts of COVID-19 on elementary school education, with a focus on the challenges and barriers to virtual schooling in the North-East Region of India. Approved and funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Education, it utilized primary data collected from 224 elementary school teachers across 20 randomly selected schools in aspirational districts during the 2022–23 academic session across all states of the North-East Region. Findings showed that 87% of teachers had actively participated in online teaching, though inadequate infrastructure, limited resources, and insufficient training had posed significant challenges. Teachers had adapted to online teaching through platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Zoom, and DIKSHA, while advanced tools like virtual labs and QR-code-enabled textbooks had been underutilized. Support materials had been only partially available, and systemic issues—such as the lack of digitization, online evaluation tools, and funding—had constrained virtual learning. Programs such as NISHTHA had provided training to 70% of teachers, though participation in MOOCs and SWAYAM had been notably low. Teachers had reported significant psycho-social challenges among children, including isolation, anxiety, reduced physical activity, and disengagement—particularly among disadvantaged children and those experiencing personal losses. Strategies such as counselling, home visits, and remedial teaching had been employed to address these challenges. The study underscored teachers' resilience during the pandemic while highlighting the need for enhanced digital infrastructure, training, and psycho-social support to ensure inclusive online education. It had proposed recommendations addressing infrastructure development, teacher training, governance and policy support, psycho-social assistance, alternative learning methods, enhanced collaboration, and specialized learning materials, aiming to bridge existing gaps and ensure that virtual schooling became effective, inclusive, and aligned with NEP-2020's goals to foster equitable and quality learning opportunities for all.