Back building to avert learning disaster

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly emerged as one of the biggest disruptions in school education in the last 100 years. It will take several months to fully understand the medium and long-term impact of school closures. A joint report by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank, ‘The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery’, released in early December 2021, estimated that in the first 21 months of the pandemic, the world Schools across countries were either partially or completely closed for an average of 224 days. During the same period, schools in Indian states were closed for physical classes, almost twice as long, i.e. between 450 days and 480 days. Since the publication of this report, the Omicron version of the SARS-CoV-2-led surge globally (B.1.1.529) and the resulting third wave of COVID-19 in India further delayed the reopening of schools . In March or early April 2022, when reopened, schools in India closed for physical classes for about 570 days to 600 days – one of the longest school closures in the world.

COVID-19 will persist

However, as schools, parents and children are getting accustomed to regular offline classes, there are reports of an increase in COVID-19 cases in Indian states, including some cases of children testing positive for COVID-19. This has again intensified the demand from some classes of parents to go back to hybrid classes. There have been suggestions for partial closure of schools or even temporary but complete closure of schools, if there are few cases of COVID-19 in a school. In fact, some private schools have also gone into hybrid mode.

This demand for hybrid mode or partial closure with every single case in school children is not scientifically supported and could prove to be a major threat to school education in India. The reason is simple. SARS-CoV-2 will be with humanity for months and years to come. COVID-19 cases are likely to be reported from all settings – including school children – with an unexpected rise and fall. Therefore, it is impractical, unnecessary, unscientific and unethical for schools to consider ‘open and closed’ modes.

less adverse consequences

Children are part of the family and society; So, when COVID-19 cases are being reported in a community, children are also likely to test positive. However, two years into the epidemic, what is proven is that while children have the same SARS-CoV-2 infection as adults, the likelihood of an adverse outcome of moderate to severe illness is much lower.

The news of children testing COVID-19 positive is gaining more media attention after the school reopens. However, there is no evidence that children in schools have contracted the infection. In most cases, they are more likely to get the infection from family members. In fact, even before the reopening of schools, successive seroprevalence-surveys across Indian states have reported that approximately 70% to 90% of all children were already infected (thus protected).

Twenty-five months into the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection is not of immediate concern; What matters is the outcome of that transition. Most healthy children do not develop serious consequences, a condition that has not changed even with the emergence of new forms of anxiety. In the near future – possibly for several months – COVID-19 cases will not be zero in any age group – this includes school children.

Hence, it is time that we, as a society, stop worrying about children getting infected with the COVID-19 infection. Hybrid way of learning or partial closure of schools is no longer an option. Rather, attention has to be paid on how to keep the schools completely open.

what is the challenge

The recurring discourse on whether to move to hybrid classes or when to close schools is proving to be a major distraction from the more pressing challenges in schooling, namely ‘learning loss’. It is time for us to plan and act to ensure the resumption of learning.

First, the reopening of schools does not mean that all children are returning to school. The time has come for education departments in every state to lead the process by ensuring that every school in every district ensures that no child is left out of the education system and that every eligible child is enrolled. Enrollment of all children and girls, especially poor, backward, rural, urban slum dwellers, needs special attention. Children who are eligible for admission in nursery or class one and two will need special attention. This will be an important step in tackling enrollment disparities related to the pandemic.

Second, the learning loss during the last two years is enormous and ‘learning recovery’ should be the priority of every state government. The need to assess the learning levels of the children and then formulate strategies for recovery of learning needs to be addressed. It is also time to consider strengthening the curriculum and increasing the teaching time. To ensure the success of such efforts, school teachers will need support and training to accommodate children’s learning levels and needs. The mentor teacher initiative in Delhi government schools is proof of what can be achieved if teachers are well supported. Across India, in both government and private schools, we have highly motivated teachers who can contribute to the process. It’s time to support teachers. There is a need to explore innovative approaches and the involvement of civil society organizations working in the field of education.

increase allocation

Third, with the pandemic in the ‘rear view mirror’, it is time for every Indian state to re-evaluate the challenges in school education. Subject matter experts should examine the recommendations made in the National Education Policy 2020 in the context of challenges related to the pandemic, and new operational strategies to be developed and implemented expeditiously. All this will require additional government investment. In India, government spending on education accounts for about 3% of GDP, which is about half the average for low- and middle-income countries’ education spending. The time has come for both the central and state governments in India to increase the financial allocation for school education.

Fourth, there are studies and reports that mental health issues and needs have doubled among school children during the pandemic period. It calls for the provision of mental health services and counseling sessions for school-age children. Education and health departments in Indian states need to work together to ensure regular services like school health, mental health as well as health check-ups for school children. In early March 2022, 20 school health clinics were opened in Delhi and every state needs to launch similar initiatives to strengthen school health services. These initiatives should lay the foundation for more comprehensive approaches such as ‘schools that promote health’.

Fifth, mid-day meal services have resumed after a gap of two years. There are 120 million children in India whose nutritional status is dependent on these school meals. Any interruption in the supply of school food also means lack of adequate nutrition for these children, and thus their weakened immunity and higher susceptibility to various infections. The supplementary nutrition program in schools will essentially ensure that children are protected from the dire consequences of COVID-19. Also, taking lessons from the pandemic, every school, especially rural and government schools, should improve hand washing and toilet facilities with soap and water. It will also prepare schools to contain the possible spread of COVID-19 and also reduce other water-borne diseases among school children. The role of both sanitation and nutrition in better education has long been proven.

social, moral responsibility

It is time to recognize that the risk of COVID-19 in children is very low, and much lower than other prevalent health concerns such as dengue, malaria and typhoid, and that the benefits of individualized education far outweigh any risks. . Real education does not take place in the walls of homes or through online classes, but it happens when teachers and other children are in school. Studies have shown that for every month of school closure, the loss of learning ability lags behind by two months. Accordingly, the education of children in India has gone back almost three years. So now that schools are reopening, we cannot start as if nothing has happened. We cannot unnecessarily and repeatedly be distracted by the unscientific demands of going into hybrid mode or considering some form of temporary shutdown again.

Recognizing the challenges posed by the pandemic, the government needs to take every necessary step to bring school education back on track and develop a road map for learning recovery. Governments, parents, communities and schools need to work together. It is our moral and social responsibility towards the future of this nation.

Dr. Chandrakant Laharia is a primary care physician, public policy and health systems specialist, and an epidemiologist based in New Delhi.