A recent survey byLEAD School, which is currently running the largest online school in the country, has revealed that the pandemic has caused major worry among parents of children belonging to class K-12. The study shows that over 85% of parents are now more anxious about their child's future prospects in society and the economy amid the COVID pandemic.

The nationwide survey of nearly 5,000 parents from metro and non-metro cities presented some stark findings: 70% of parents feel quite worried about the impact of COVID on their child's education. It is slightly more for parents of class 9 and 10 students; over 78% respondents are worried about their child’s health and safety; and nearly 40% parents have expressed concern about their child falling behind and missing out on a year of learning and education.

Interestingly, with the trend of online learning picking up in our country, the survey revealed that around 70% parents think they're able to support their child's learning at home, a trend seen among both fathers and mothers. Moreover, over 60% respondents see online schooling as an effective mode of learning and believe that it should go hand-in-hand with physical schooling.

As per LEAD School data, parents in the states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana feel they are not well equipped to support their child's learning. On the other hand, parents in southern states such as Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana feel they have been able to support their child’s learning.

over 60% respondents see online schooling as an effective mode of learning and believe that it should go hand-in-hand with physical schooling.

However, not surprisingly, 79% parents said that they are able to spend more quality time with their children – a trend observed in both metro and non-metro cities.

The nationwide survey was aimed at understanding some of the major concerns of Indian parents as respondents shared their experiences of how they are dealing with the schools being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is impacting their decisions concerning their children.

LEAD School Cofounder & CEO, Sumeet Mehta said, “I understand the fear that parents have of sending their children to school. Our schools should provide a high quality online learning experience so that if we decide to not send our child to school, they are not disadvantaged. But we must equally respect the decision of parents who choose to send their children to school. Government must inspect regularly to ensure schools follow protocols and take up strict action against those who don’t, as it is the only way to build trust amongst parents and students both. Parents should exercise this choice and work collaboratively with schools as this trust based contract between parents and schools may end up being Covid-19’s biggest gift to Indian education.”

LEAD School recently released thePost Lockdown Handbook for Schools in India which lays down recommendations and guidelines on how to run schools post lockdown while achieving the twin objectives of student safety as well as excellent learning.