EDUCATION PROCESS DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: CHALLENGES IN TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Abstract

Despite great uncertainty in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, education institutions have faced immense challenges as they were forced to transfer the education process to an online format: provide equal access to it for all students, meet teachers' and students' educational needs, and make urgent preparations to support education systems in general and training continuity in particular. The pandemic has also triggered a lot of psychological difficulties such as anxiety, tension, and sadness. The aim of this paper is to describe psychological and pedagogical difficulties in education process during COVID-19 lockdown which serve to take actions and develop definite educational strategies that can be implemented in order to prevent further negative consequences in the system of education. The research is also focused on many effective steps undertaken to the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels, which can be divided into three main areas of action: the implementation of distance learning modalities across a variety of formats and platforms and the support and mobilization of NGOs. It is proved that virtual education, which is open, attractive, and accessible to everyone plays a meaningful role in creating an information society focused on the improvement of lifelong learning in general and during COVID-19 lockdown in particular. The novelty of the research lies in the analysis of the results of the questionnaire presented to the students and their parents is included. It is an attempt to present the problems which parents and students have to face in the conditions of virtual/remote education.