IMPACT OF ONLINE SCHOOL IN ACADEMIC EVOLUTION AND INVOLVEMENT IN STEAM EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, EGYPT, ROMANIA AND PAKISTAN

ABSTRACT

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, education experienced the direct transition to digitalisation at the international level, and academic studies migrated to the virtual environment. According to official UNESCO data presented by Statistics, 23rd March 2020, [1], more than 1.5 billion students globally have been affected by partial or total closure of educational institutions. (Statistics, Mar 2020) With the closure of schools, both students and teachers started the journey to the New Education - The Online School. But the main problem was yet to be assessed as “children are not the face of the pandemic.” [2]. Thus, a couple of questions were asked to mitigate the implications of the official governmental decision, understanding the assessment of digital educational preparedness and examples of activities conducted that led children of four nations to be inspired by Space Scientists and engineers. From spending an average of 2 to 4 hours a day in the digital environment, to perform homework and use social media channels, the direct time added for The Online School has doubled and even tripled. On average, children started to use computers for over 10 – 12 hours. As a result, vulnerability and differences increased, access to quality education has decreased considerably due to weak computer skills, but the essential fact studied has been the activities conducted to keep children engaged in their educational development. However, whether we are talking about the connection between pupil-pupil or pupil-teacher, or the ability to continue extracurricular activities in the digital environment, there was a lack of consultation and involvement of students in the decision-making process and a lack of creating interactive projects and dedicated support on behalf of authorities. Copyright © 2021 by the authors. Published by the IAF, with permission and released to the IAF to publish in all forms.