KYIV, UKRAINE - APRIL 21, 2020 - Boy studies at the PC under the remote learning programme of the ... [+]
According to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, over 1.37 billion students have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. In other words, 80% of learners worldwide are at risk of falling behind academically for years to come, potentially jeopardizing future rates of income and growth within their chosen industries.
While the quick pivot to virtual learning within the academic world at large is certainly commendable, there are glaring consequences to the mass inequities of learning at home right now which will lead to negative outcomes in the future.
COVID-19’s impact has exacerbated decades-old issues of racial and gender inequity in the classroom. As a result, underrepresented students - young women and students of color in particular - are further disadvantaged by missing out on developing personal pathways to success, while companies lose the opportunity to bring on fresh, diverse talent. This is especially true for schools K-16 in geographically disadvantaged locations.
The immediate consequences of interrupted education are yet to come and continue to depend on daily ramifications of the pandemic’s movement. However, the long-term effects are more predictable. For example, students who miss out on receiving support from educators now have less of a chance to build professional relationships with employers later. After all, a huge funnel for opportunity begins and ends with education.
Let me put this urgently: the impact of not acting and not acting correctly will be dire. In order to successfully build a pipeline of talent, and ultimately a future group of leaders that will transform how everyone will live and work for which our very future depends, educators and leaders of the public and private sector must partner to embrace and support all types of students. Educational systems are key to challenging industry norms and what has always been in desperate need of changing.
The negative boundaries of current educational ecosystems indicate there is possibility and necessity for growth. And while many are connected over the internet right now, there is an opportunity and necessity for the interactivity that teams might not normally have.
In response to the pandemic, AnitaB.org hosted a weekly webinar series called #AnitaBConversations featuring a moderated discussion on COVID-19’s effects between experts in academia and across the private and public sector. Our team brought together leaders on the front lines of creating a more inclusive technology education experience. It was agreed that colleges and universities have the chance to improve their institutions by redesigning methods for sourcing talent and prospect qualifications. Equally important, nonprofit and for-profit organizations can proactively offer budding talent the possibility to step up through internships, networking events and other external resources. These extraordinary times present us with excellent opportunities to make our systems work better for students and ensure they don’t fall through the gaps potentially opening up.
With this said, accountability needs to operate at the individual level, too. Now is the time for students and educators alike to speak up, ask for what they need, reach out to the dream contact or company, or organize a networking group or two for personal and peer support.
In the interest of supporting the journey from student to professional in its entirety, groups like AnitaB.org can bring together the public and private sectors to support those being most impacted and hold each other responsible at the individual level, and as an industry. AnitaB.org’s own Grace Hopper Celebration was established to bring research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront, and is adapting to the pandemic’s limitations by transforming into a virtual experience for the first time in its history.
Open-minded embrace of all types of students in our educational systems is core to challenging norms in all industries, especially those with a wide diversity divide like technology. Now is the time for academic institutions and the public and private sector to come together as a community to drive recovery and change. Together, our united front can ensure not only a healthy tech pipeline, but also robust tech pathways built from diverse educational experiences.
