The first Covid-19 positive case was registered in India on January 27, 2020. While in Manipur, the first case was confirmed on March 24, 2020, in a 23-year-old woman returning from the United Kingdom. The majority of the cases confirmed since then were workers, students, travelers, and businessmen who previously crossed the boundary of the state.
By Md. Tajuddin Bogimayum
Introduction
Since the time man came into existence on the earth’s surface to date, he has been facing a lot of challenges and difficulties to sustain his life. Of all those challenges and difficulties, the deadliest ones are the changes in the environment and the outbreak of quickly communicable diseases. When a particular infectious disease affects many people within a community, population, or region, it is called an epidemic. An epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance, multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people, is known as a pandemic. The world had witnessed many pandemics so far. But the latest one, which is commonly known as the Covid-19 pandemic, has been regarded as the worst pandemic ever. It has resulted in causing far-reaching consequences in the economy, politics, arts and culture, trades, development, and education. In a country like India, where the future of the country lies upon the youths who constitute about two-thirds of the total population, education is still one of the major sectors to be prioritized. Keeping this fact in mind, the impact of the pandemic in the field of education sector must be seriously taken into consideration. The study gap, the valuable time wasted in unprofitable activities by the students since March 2020, will remain an irreparable loss in their career. Nevertheless, there is still hope for those who are self-reliant, seek guidance from the teachers and parents, are committed to sustaining regular self-study despite facing many unaccustomed challenges.
What is Covid-19 Pandemic and how does it spread in Manipur?
The Covid-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was first identified on November 17, 2019, but officially recorded on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding Covid-19 on January 30, 2020, and later declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. As of May 31, 2021, more than 170 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 3.54 million confirmed deaths attributed to Covid-19, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in history.
Symptoms of Covid-19 are highly variable, ranging from none to life-threateningly severe. Covid-19 transmits when people breathe in air contaminated by droplets and small airborne particles. The risk of breathing these in is highest when people are in close proximity, but they can be inhaled over longer distances, particularly indoors. Transmission can also occur if splashed or sprayed with contaminated fluids, in the eyes, nose, or mouth, and rarely via contaminated surfaces. People remain contagious for up to 20 days and can spread the virus even if they do not develop any symptoms.
The first Covid-19 positive case was registered in India on January 27, 2020. While in Manipur, the first case was confirmed on March 24, 2020, in a 23-year-old woman returning from the United Kingdom. The majority of the cases confirmed since then were workers, students, travelers, and businessmen who previously crossed the boundary of the state. Later on, covid-19 invaded the state of Manipur slowly but consistently, causing a sharp rise in cases of infections. By October 30, 2020, the state witnessed a total of 18272 confirmed cases, of which 4303 were still active and a death toll of 163. A slight improvement was seen in November 2020. The number of active cases was declining. Thus, on December 31, the total active cases were 1155 only. 27678 patients have recovered, and the deaths tally stood at 355. The decrease in the number of active cases was still observed even during the first and the second months of 2021. The least infection could be seen on March 6, 2021, with only 30 active cases. But suddenly, with the ending of March, on April 5, 2021, the active cases jumped up to 59. Later, on May 9, the active cases rose to 3851, and on May 26, the total active cases were 7243 with a death count of 720.
How does it affect the peoples?
Covid-19 pandemic, directly and indirectly, affects the people in several ways. India declared nationwide lockdown on March 24, 2020, for 21 days to break the chain of community transmissions. After the repeated extension of the lockdown, the last day of national lockdown was on August 31, 2020. Though the lockdown was lifted in September, schools remained closed. Business, transport, and public gathering were limited. There still existed Covid-19 guidelines and protocols considering the possibility of a potential second wave. The series of lockdowns imposed gave rise to severe economic depression. Hotels, shopping malls, marketplaces, business centers, and tourist places were closed. More than 12.2 crore Indians lost their jobs, out of which 27 million youths between the age of 20-30 lost their jobs right in April 2020.
The worst impact befalls the education sector. Due to the shutdown of schools, colleges, and universities, not a single student could follow the conventional academic calendar. Despite all efforts by the central and state governments, many students belonging to the below poverty line families were deprived of any learning facility during the lockdown. The social and psychological impacts of the lockdown were of great concern as it has resulted in emotional stress and social stratification. The social impact includes restriction in cultural and religious gatherings, suspension of public programs and postponement of marriages, etc. The price of essential commodities skyrocketed, and even the highly expensive goods were not readily available in abundance. Many people from Manipur who worked or studied outside the state were stranded due to the lockdown and the pandemic. Small retailers and daily wagers were greatly affected. Developmental works, constructions, industries, and factories stopped operation, which led to the decline of the economy, affecting thousands of families.
How are the responses by the government and others to the pandemic?
The first initiative taken up by the government of Manipur after the pandemic was, on the first week of May, that the government arranged buses and special trains to bring back the Manipuris stranded elsewhere. It enabled the return of many Manipuris to their native land. But their return was not something to be celebrated as the number of confirmed cases rose significantly over the days of their return. The government announced a complete lockdown on March 23, and public curfew was imposed under section 144, thereby restricting public gatherings, movements, and celebrations. People are obliged to stay home. In case of unavoidable circumstances, the use of a mask is mandatory in public places. All the three women markets were shut down.
The Health Department of the state government continuously copes with the situation day and night. Unfortunately, due to a lack of manpower and infrastructure, there were loopholes. So, a satisfactory response was not received from the public. The government established seven quarantine centers along with 770 community quarantine centers. However, there were reports of a lack of proper management of the centers. Several complaints were publicly made by those who stayed in the quarantine centers. Poor quality food, lack of food and water supply, poor quality sanitation, unhygienic rooms, and unavailability of Covid testing facilities were among the important issues the government had a tough time addressing. There were complaints by doctors and nurses regarding the quality and quantity of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) issued by the government.
On the other hand, the government distributed monthly rations to every household to minimize the impact of the lockdown. But it could not meet the exact requirement of food consumption of a family for a month. In some places, local clubs and organizations, NGOs, and social workers came out to help in feeding the less fortunate ones. In giving awareness to the public, the media and police department stood in the frontline, followed by medical personnel, civil society organizations, local clubs, and volunteers. The responses and contributions of the government and others to the pandemic are worth mentioning. Despite flaws, their efforts should not be underestimated.
How does it affect the students in Manipur?
Since the pandemic outbreak, students in Manipur have not joined any classes for about eleven months. Such a huge gap in the study may cause serious damage to their academic careers and pose a threat to their mental well-being and their intellect. In a state like Manipur, where the majority of the inhabitants live on agriculture and fishery, it is a disappointing and helpless situation for the parents to see their children not going to school. The facility of online classes conducted elsewhere in the world is not readily applicable in the state due to various limitations. It is also not affordable for the majority of the parents. Some schools opted to conduct online classes. But the effectiveness of their online classes is questionable. Many students who are lucky to attend online classes misused the very mobile phone handed over to them for the sole purpose of joining the class. Many of them take advantage of the possession of the mobile phone, play addictive games, watch movies, and use it in ways that would eventually ruin their student life.
On March 12, 2020, all schools were shut down on the eve of the pandemic. Since the day itself, attempts were made to reopen schools but remained unsuccessful till December 2020. After all efforts, on January 27, 2021, schools were reopened for the first time in 11 months. The Directorate of Education published the school authority’s rules and regulations and SOP. But there were chaos and uncertainties in the minds of students and teachers as it was difficult to repair the loss due to the long study gap. Now students have accumulated a lot of pressure and anxiety, and ultimately, they are engulfed by a fear psychosis of how they could face the exam and how they could make their future. Some students are in the happy mood of granting promotion, and it leads them to get away from books and diverts their minds from the study. Both the Board and Council exams that were supposed to be conducted from May 5 and 6, 2021, respectively, have been postponed due to the second wave spread. Once again, classes were called off, and the shutdown of schools was re-imposed on April 12, 2021, leaving the fate of the students in the mid-year.
What needs to be done by and for the students?
Students can do the following during the lockdown:
1. Eat hygienic food timely and exercise regularly.
2. In case of going outside, use a mask and sanitize properly afterward.
3. Limit the time spent in social media and engage in physical work at home.
4. Taking advantage of the lockdown, seek beneficial knowledge from books.
5. Engage in social work and community awareness programs.
6. Follow a daily routine and spend maximum time studying unless an online class is conducted for the day.
7. Help family with household chores.
8. If you are going to appear in any exam, avoid unrelated topics and books with your exam.
Some step that can be taken up for the students are:
1. Conduct exam as early as possible, taking up all safety measures or if promotion is to be granted, then inform the students at the right time.
2. Give proper training and issue equipment to the teachers for a smooth and productive online class.
3. Arrange online interaction programs and online classes to make up the missed lessons.
4. Impose restrictions on schools in organizing assemblies, events of games and sports, etc.
5. Support our children morally, psychologically, emotionally, whatever is required.
6. Immediate steps should be taken up to conduct online or offline classes by the government, whichever is convenient.
7. Make it compulsory for all schools to have access to sanitizer and handwashing facilities.
Conclusion
The sudden outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected the education sector in our state but also destroyed the economy to a great scale. Students, teachers, and parents should understand the very need of the hour to restore students’ academic atmosphere. For this, we have to be very sensitive and act accordingly. A good decision for them made by us today will save them from long-lasting difficulties. Both the government and the public should be aware of the importance of making the pillars of the nation powerful. To accomplish this, our top priority is to fill up the damages caused by the closing of schools. As we have experienced earlier in the first wave of Covid-19 and learned a lot about how to handle the pandemic, we should put all those knowledge and experiences together for a better approach to fight the virus. Our future lies in the hands of youths. So, we are all responsible for making a way out for students to resume their classes as usual. With the following of the guidelines and SOP issued by the government during these hard times, we should realize that each of us has a moral responsibility to root out this deadly virus from our motherland. Only by doing so will we be able to create a bright future for all of us.
(Md. Tajuddin Bogimayum, son of Md Abdul Salam and Ruhina Bibi, of Uchiwa Wangbal, is a student of B.Sc. 3rd Semester, D.M. College of Sciences, Imphal) – Courtesy: Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur) Supported by: (1) KanglaOnline, (2) Yaol Publishing London, (3) Beyond the Horizon, and (4) Gateway Trading Academy, Imphal.