Bridging The Learning Gap: Recognizing And Leveraging The Role And Potential Of Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown disengaged, distracted and disempowered children from the marginalized section as they did not have access to digital pedagogical methods. The expensive, inaccessible and non-unaffordable online education pushed a large number of schools going children out of education system and the learning gap among peers widened. Recognizing the need for filling the learning gap timely the paper highlights that it is incumbent upon higher education institutions to take up this key social responsibility with active involvement of student communities who have potential and will to collaborate in noble mission of educating and empowering the students particularly at the primary and middle levels. The study opines that college students while teaching these school students shall also relearn fundamental in languages and other subjects and enriching their own knowledge base.  The paper aims to discuss how higher education institutions can create and leverage myriad platforms to train, motivate and encourage college students to trace, teach and empower such vulnerable students by covering up the learning gap and improving outcomes.