Learning in the Midst of Adverse Situation in Assam: Experience from the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about an unprecedented global crisis, creating widespread disruptions across almost every sector of society. Education, traditionally dependent on continuity and structured interaction, emerged as one of the most severely affected domains. With prolonged closure of schools, colleges, and universities, technology became the primary medium of learning, offering opportunities to some while excluding many others. For large sections of learners, digital education was not merely an alternative but a source of further deprivation, exposing deep-rooted structural inequalities. Importantly, the precarious conditions that came to the forefront during the pandemic were not unfamiliar to the students of Assam. For decades, recurring ecological disruptions such as floods, erosion, and displacement, along with social unrest and insurgency, have created similar barriers to learning. The pandemic, therefore, becomes a comparative lens through which the structural weaknesses of Assam’s education system can be re-examined. This paper argues that unless education policy and practice in Assam are designed with sensitivity to its ecological and socio-political realities, the gap between privileged and disadvantaged learners will continue to widen.