India’s shift to online learning impacts parents and schools financially

Education: India did reasonably well in transitioning to online learning during the COVID-19-induced school closures. This shift, however, proved detrimental to the financial well-being of parents and schools, according to a report by Oxford University Press (OUP).

Unequal access to digital learning devices, lack of internet connectivity and familiarity with teaching-learning tools were some of the other issues identified during the survey.

The report titled Education: The Journey Towards a Digital Revolution is a result of surveys conducted in seven countries including the UK, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Spain, Turkey, and South Africa, with a view to study the change in the learning ecosystem, and the future of education.

Nearly 71 percent of respondents in India felt that the move to online education had been “detrimental to well-being”.  They also stated that the financial strain had been felt by parents as well as the schools. “Many parents have not been able to pay the fees for their children, adding further to the strain on the schools to keep going despite the lockdown that has lasted almost the entire academic session.”

Further, the survey found that while the teachers in India aimed at synchronous learning, they struggled to keep track of students’ learning progress.

Pointing out the digital divide across the seven countries, the report stated that in high-income countries digital learning covered over 80 percent of the population, but was less than 50 percent in low-income countries due to technical barriers such as insufficient access to electricity, and human barriers such as limited digital literacy.

In India, respondents explained that a “large majority of students have been impacted due to a lack of devices or connectivity at home.” One South African respondent remarked that “data is costly, and for many families, the only device available is a mobile phone.”

Read this article on how rural India learned during lockdown

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.