ABSTRACT
Among various sectors of the world being hit by COVID-19, the global education sector is the worst hit. As a measure to control viral infections, lockdowns were imposed in different parts of the world, which led to the closure of schools and educational institutions. To maintain education during the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning and other digital technologies were promoted. Various online and social media platforms such as YouTube, Google Classroom, Teams, and Zoom have played vital roles in such a dreadful situation. The global education sector was not ready for this abrupt transition from traditional education to remote learning. This unprecedented workload affected the mental health of mentors and learners. e-Learning is a new dimension for teachers, and they have to struggle a lot to cope up with such a crisis. The nationwide lockdowns and curfews have compounded the lives of international students by introducing financial and health-related issues. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1562 (SARS-CoV-2) crisis has horrific effects on the mental health condition of mentors and students as they suffered from anxiety, social isolation, and depression. Different countries responded to the pandemic in their specific way. However, developed countries were aware of some e-learning modes before the pandemic; thus, they were ready for this shift in education, while developing countries were adversely affected due to poor digital infrastructure and facilities. The pandemic has changed the whole scenario of different aspects of education, and the education sector is exploring alternative ways to tackle this crisis.
