The year lost to the pandemic: Reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on Education in India

The COVID-19 pandemic which started in March, 2020 has lasted for over a year and it forced most educational institutions in India to suspend face-to-face instruction for months. During this period, millions of students have shifted to online platforms for learning, which has gained prominence as an effective educational medium. Millions of students from rural, lower socioeconomic and socially marginalized backgrounds who lack access to distance and online learning have also been pushed to the brink of dropping out during this period. Since the number of new and active cases has dropped significantly in the previous few months, physical classes have been allowed to resume in all parts of India as of March, 2021. In this review paper, the effect of the year-long disruption to the Indian education sector is discussed to highlight the main challenges faced by students, teachers and educational institutions during this period.