Children and the National Education Emergency: A Psycho-Legal Perspective

Mental wellbeing of children depends greatly on the ability to have valuable experiences during their formative years. With the advent of the Covid-19 virus last year, the formidable circumstances of online education have come to surface. The aim of the article is to shed light on the psychological impact of children due to lack of access to education in times of lockdown, alongside highlighting the state’s obligations towards making education available from a legal viewpoint. The authors have collated stats around the current scenario in the country indicating towards deprivation of basic opportunities for children. Isolating at home and quarantine during the course of the pandemic were found to be interlinked with psychological disturbances in children. The shift of education to an online mode has reiterated the need to view students’ welfare through a well-rounded lens. It is essential to take note of the fundamental rights of the young children and the duty of the state to provide required assistance to aid their education and health, as prescribed by the Indian Constitution. There are also accompanying predisposing factors like undernutrition, existing disabilities and lack of infrastructure that contribute to the high likelihood of the hardships of children. Towards the end of the article, few recommendations have been enlisted that may prove to be conducive in providing psychological support to children during these unprecedented times, and the various schemes launched by the government to provide access to quality online education to the students.