Why education?

There are a hundred different things this blog could’ve been about. The corona crisis is affecting so many areas of life – work and unemployment, poverty, essential workers etc. Why am I writing about education, I hear no one ask?

Perhaps the easiest and quickest answer is: because it affects me.

As a journalist, I could write about any of the people and things named above as long as I find interviewees and official figures. I don’t need to be affected in the same way to report on it.

But this blog is my personal space. Interrupted education is the topic I relate to most. Some posts here are nothing more than public journal entries.

I’m surrounded by students. At least half of my friends are still following some sort of program. Their lives have, of course, drastically changed compared to just a couple of months ago. Those are the stories I hear the most. For the younger generations at least, it’s one of the main ways in which the virus has influenced their lives.

And it’s not just students. Some parents - besides raising children and continuing to work - have now also taken on the role of teacher. Teachers had to create an entirely new learning environment in a way they hadn’t before.

Outlets have reported on some of the challenges students face: from fear of near-graduates surrounding the state of the job market once all of this is over (or has at least calmed down) to the changes in classrooms the virus mandates.

Germany, where I’m from, has opened schools step-by-step, starting with years about to graduate or switch schools. Frankly, I’m not sure what the alternative would be. I’m not sure graduation exams have ever been canceled.

Also in Germany, some have asked for a sort of “flex” semester at uni so that those who face a delay solely because of the virus can still potentially claim to have graduated within the intended time.

These are just some examples that show that education plays a huge part in day-to-day life for a lot of the world’s population.

So, these stories matter. They matter to the government. To parents. To a lot of my friends and peers. And they matter to me.