There are those who claims that trendy distance learning will supersede the conventional form of education in classroom in the near future. From my perspective, there is a low probability that online education provide a student with the form of social interaction that is common for brick-n-mortar schools. So while it is important to have an opportunity to decide on the form of education, a more hybrid and balanced approach would benefit both individuals and society.
The primary reason why I hold this view is that there are lots of skills and qualifications that can not be taught online. A clear illustration of this can be seen in chemistry and physics, as well as in sports and arts. It is widely acknowledged that in order to absorb the knowledge, the latter should not only be explained to a student, but require their involvement in practice. It would be extremely hard to carry out an experiment or play football, when all the students are attached to their laptop monitors at home.
Recent research shows that there are fewer families that can afford the personal computer and stable internet connection to access online education. Subsidizing these activities by the government would create an enormous hole in the budget, while other sectors are still in need of financing.
Another significant reason is that we can not omit social interactions. Having lived in a wide array of various communities, we are induced to interact with different people. Therefore, our communications in classroom is the first step in preparation of a student to be functional part of society. Surely, liberal arts benefit the most from online education in that that case. I firmly agree that face-to-face communications in school boast the confidence and improve the behavioural skills, both of which are essential to future job pursue.
To summarise, the arguments presented above demonstrate that currently a lot of complications in place to prevent the society from transferring its eduction system into online space. Offline communication and practical knowledge are vital parts of traditional education – something that will be relevant in our society in ages.