Day Twentyfour


Government is actively promoting the Aarogya Setu app. An app that will help in contact tracing. How does it work? When two smartphones with the app installed in them come in each other's Bluetooth range the app will exchange information. If one of the user is positive, the other person will be alerted about possibility of being infected. Bluetooth has a range of 30 ft. These potential cases are then notified to government for further testing. There are reports that it may be used as e-pass in the future, like China is implementing now. But there are privacy issues. I think I won’t need it as long as I am cocooned at home. Government needs a critical mass of 50% if the app has to be meaningful. More than 50 million have downloaded the app so far. Long way to go! 

 Sent out learning material to the class, as a small experiment. I structured the PowerPoint a bit differently to make it engaging. Hope this approach interests the students. I will know tomorrow. Immersing myself in work is the best antidote against anxiety. I have been away from twitter since yesterday.

R informed yesterday that A is learning virtually through skype and zoom. Even the tuition classes! Chitre called me today and I got to know that his son is back from Jaipur and will be attending virtual classes. Looks this will be the new normal across the board. This will make quality education accessible to less privileged students. Students who have got Masters admissions in US for this fall may also learn virtually! I can’t see US opening up for foreign students this year.

Education Abroad in a Post-COVID-19 World

Chitre also told me that the Pune office managed to shift some computers to the homes of employees to allow them to WFH. There is some talk about “mirroring” computers. MK says that only senior personnel who have office laptops are WFH. What a singular lack of foresight! It is the lower echelons that need to be empowered. This skewed empowerment may change in the post-Covid world. 

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