The journey of students in 2021 has been full of ups and downs with a lot of challenges coming on the way. From the news of school re-opening to delay in board results, the year has taught many lessons of patience and perseverance. The outbreak of COVID-19 became an obstacle for the path of many students towards a bright career. From the implementation of New Education Policy (NEP) to Doctors strike due to the wait caused for NEET Counselling 2021, this year has been a roller coaster ride for the education industry. Let's have a look below to see major transformations that took place in the education sector of India in 2021. 

Schools Reopen: Students Back to School after a Long Break

The schools in India were closed in 2020 due to the fear of COVID-19 spread among the students. Major relief was for the students when news of school reopening came in 2021. Many schools across the country re-opened only for students from classes 1 to 5 and several schools resumed offline classes with only 50 percent capacity. However, physical attendance was not mandatory in many states and the students were allowed to take up online mode of education. The outbreak of COVID-19 taught every teacher and students about the new normal, ‘Virtual Learning.’ 

Women in Front: Female Candidates Allowed to take NDA Exam

For the very first time, the Ministry of Defence opened applications for women applicants. The ministry informed that it has one woman for every 3 participants. A total of 5 lakh 75 thousand candidates registered for UPSC NDA 2021 out of which 1 lakh 77 thousand applicants were female. This stands as a huge development into empowering women. 

Ungendered View: Gender Neutral Uniform Introduced in School

The Valayanchirangara Government Lower Primary School, Kerala introduced the first ever gender neutral uniform for school students. This initiative was taken to promote gender neutrality and inclusivity. The school has a capacity of 754 students and the uniform has been made the same for all- shirt and shorts of 3/4th size. The planning for this development began in 2018 itself and was introduced for lower primary students after offline classes resumed. 

Doctors in Action: Strike due to Delay in NEET Counselling 2021

The delay in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, NEET Counselling 2021 turned into a rational protest and shutdown called by Doctors in various regions. The delay in the counselling has left more than 50,000 medical aspirants in lurch. The doctors alleged the government for not listening to the voice of ‘COVID Warriors.’ The interval in candidate’s admission to PG medical colleges has led to a crisis of medical staff in many hospitals when the nation is grappling with COVID-19 outbreak. Since November 2021, many resident doctors associations, RDAs, have warned for shutting down of routine medical services. The delay in the counseling round is being caused due to many plea hearings in supreme court for newly introduced criteria of EWS quota. 

Gateway to IIT: JEE Advanced Aspirants of 2020-2021 can Apply for 2022 Exam

The special one-time measure has been given to students who appeared for class 12 in 2020 or 2021 and registered for JEE Advanced 2021 but didn’t appear. This decision has been taken by the Joint Admission Board, JAB in light of difficulties faced by candidates due to COVID-19 outbreak. The official notice reads, “Candidates who registered for JEE (Advanced) 2021 but were absent in both the papers, i.e., Paper 1 and Paper 2, of JEE (Advanced) 2021, are eligible to directly appear for JEE (Advanced) 2022 and do not need to fulfil Criteria 1 to 4.”