Govt. school Children who generally belong to economically backward classes could not afford online learning devices during COVID-19. Moreover, online education posed a risk of exposure to increased screen time for the learners even if it was available. Therefore, it has become essential for students to engage in offline activities and self-exploratory learning. The students' learning level of academic performance has dropped for the classes held for the year-end and internal examinations due to reduced contact hours for learners. The anxiety level of students increased due to varied reasons. The bonding of students with the teachers drastically declined. There is a growing use of socio-emotional learning (SEL) in India today. The New Education Policy draft released in 2019 mentions it explicitly when it recognizes the need to conceive education more encompassing, ensuring that students become academically, socially, and emotionally competent. SEL training would help teachers balance the stressors of their jobs. Educators and students have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. They had left many burnt out with little time to process the past year's events. This is our education system's responsibility to recover from the pandemic's impacts fully, and schools and districts must invest in their educators and students, especially in their social and emotional health