Coronavirus Part - 41, Disadvantage Learning and An Ode to Great 'Managers'

 

           The covid-19 in the country is receding slowly and steadily. The average of the cases for the last week is 33 thousand which is four thousand less than the previous week. The active cases in the country stand at 3.53 lakh which saw a drop of over 30 thousand over the last week. Barring few states which are contributing a major portion to the daily infections, the covid-19 situation is progressively under control. This is also giving an opportunity for the states to ease the lockdown measures imposed all over the country. Most of the lockdown measures across the states in the country are relaxed and we are slowly inching back to unrestricted nation. Most of the businesses are back and all the work on the ground is going on uninhibited. The adults are engaged in meaningful routines but the kids are the mostly disturbed groups.

           There are tremendous gaps in learning outcomes as the kids are out of class room training for year and a half. Education which requires physical presence is hit the hardest in the pandemic. Many studies have pointed out that the closure of schools for a long time during the pandemic has had negative impacts on children’s learning. School closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to complete disconnect from education for the vast majority of children or inadequate alternatives like community based classes or poor alternatives in the form of online education, including mobile phone-based learning. As mentioned most of the students in India do not have access to online learning or the online teaching does not monitor them adequately. Equally alarming is the widespread phenomenon of ‘forgetting’ by students of learning from the previous class.

           Majority of students in India who belong to public schools have a gap of one academic year and more. A young kid of 5 years failed to begin with her education, a student failed to study the math of tenth class, a student failed to connect to the basics of higher education in college – all possible scenarios are opening up to negatively affect the learning as the pandemic drags on. Supplemental support, whether in the form of bridge courses, extended hours, community-based engagements and appropriate curricular materials, will be needed to help children gain the foundational abilities. One finds it hard to come to the fact that kids are the biggest deprivers of this pandemic. The covid-19 is truly a climate change in action as our future has been greatly affected since the last 16 months. Covid-19 is a fallout of the human actions which forced climate change. The proof to show, once again is the loss which our future - kids and students are facing.

           Throwing light on the picture of vaccination in the country, a total of 58 crore doses are given till date, 3.5 crore in the last week. The moving average of 7 days is going steady at 50 lakh. There have been no significant changes in the vaccination rate in this month. One of the major areas left untouched is population below 18 years. Due to the imminent fear of third wave affecting this age group and to facilitate a quick re-opening of schools, vaccine needs to be developed, tested and distributed quickly to the children under-18. As per the 2021 census, the population of India under –18 years is 42 crores. These 42 crore students need to be inoculated sooner to restore education in the country. One of the news to favour this is a vaccine zyvov-d of Zydus Cadila for everyone above 12 years has been approved which is an early and important step in this direction. There is a need for many other players to fill this segment and begin inoculation as soon as possible.

           Navigating out of covid, let me talk about managers in general. The managers begin at the individual level very early in our lives, our parents ‘manages’ us till we reach our adult age. Our teacher ‘manages’ us in school and college. Once we get into job, we will be ‘managed’ by seniors who imparts us with the skills required to work. We are on boarded into a job, providing us with a launch pad to scale new heights by someone who ‘manages’ us. We are constantly provided with assurance and a ground to play to our liking by someone who ‘manages’ us at work. We are provided with a physical presence to acknowledge our deeds and encourage us to do more by someone who ‘manages’ us. We are given meaningful mentorship, help at all times and see that we progress in life by someone who ‘manages’ us. We come across those who doesn’t utilise us to their advantage but fetch maximum returns to our own self with sheer hard work by someone who ‘manages’ us. We come across someone who ‘manages’ us with their talismanic presence which bring festivities to our life. As in all the above, we are ‘managed’ by someone throughout the phases of life and without this endearing act, we are nothing.

           In the same way, let me talk about managing people in a broader scope. The people of a state are ‘managed’ by CMs, the people of country are ‘managed’ by PMs. When they are being ‘managed’, it is imperative that all the above care and good things are happening to the people. You should be a fatherly figure to the people and your very presence should bring good omen to the people. That is the real nature of ‘managing’ and the qualities a ‘manager’ should have. If the leaders ‘manage’ people like their own daughters and sons, it would usher in a golden era and a heaven on earth. If leaders ‘manage’ people by seeking their wellbeing, welfare it would herald a golden chapter in the annals of history. To give an example, one such leader is presently ‘managing’ the state of Andhra Pradesh. He has ushered in a new era as far as welfare schemes of any state are concerned. Y.S.R, the father of present CM Jagan is a ruler of masses and the poor.

           Enacting in his father’s footsteps, he has brought in numerous welfare schemes for the benefit of poor and under-privileged sections of society. In just 2 years, he implemented welfare schemes which benefitted 1.41 crore households. 95,528 crore has been disbursed through DBT in the last two years since he is ‘managing’ the state. The backward sections of the state have really flourished in the last two years – out of the whopping 6.03 lakh jobs he has given, nearly 75% belong to SC, ST, BC and minority sections, a real upliftment in action. He has established a revolutionary concept of ‘village secretariat’ and appointed 1.3 lakh permanent employees. 2.7 lakh village volunteers are also appointed in jobs to oversee government programmes are properly implemented for the poor at the grassroots. Nearly 5 crore people are directly benefitted under his auspices. These are some of the many welfare schemes which are being ‘managed’ by the CM for the greater good of his people.

           This section of the write-up is an ode to all the great managers out there at all levels whose very presence gives wings of hope to the people.