Challenges Faced and Coping Strategies Adopted by Agricultural Students in India During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study focused on the specific challenges faced and coping strategies adopted by agricultural students in India in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was a cross sectional survey, which was carried out as an anonymous online questionnaire administered through Google Forms. The responses of 508 participants (university agricultural students–B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.) were included in the final dataset. The major challenges faced by the respondents in online education were internet connectivity issue (74.02%), prolonged exposure to screen for online classes (60.43%) and lack of access to library (61.22). The major challenges faced by the research scholars while conducting research amid COVID-19 pandemic include difficulty in collection of data (50.81%), lack of accommodation and transportation facilities (44.34%) and limited access to library (40.45%). The major coping strategies adopted by the respondents amid the COVID-19 pandemic include adopting the COVID-19 appropriate behaviour by following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by Government of India (70.08%), spending more time on social networking platforms (63.39%) and more engagement with family (55.91%). The agricultural universities need to reflect on their educational vision and mission to ensure good learning outcomes along with psychological wellbeing of students. Standards of educational quality should not be compromised. The universities should make efforts to make both educators and learners trained and equipped with digital technology for a smooth teaching-learning process. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities and shortcomings of the current education systems and has also emphasised the need for digital literacy development, establishment of online libraries and reorganization of existing traditional education system.