Frequent school closures due to pandemic responsible for learning loss in S Asia

The closure of schools in the region has disrupted the education of 43.4 crore children. According to UNICEF research, a substantial proportion of students and their parents reported that students learned significantly less than at pre-pandemic levels. In India, 80% of children aged 14-18 reported a lower level of learning compared to going to school physically.

“School closures in South Asia have forced millions of children and their teachers to transition to distance learning in an area with low connectivity and device affordability,” said George Laria-Adjei, UNICEF regional director for South Asia. “Even when a family has access to technology, children are not always able to access it. As a result, children have suffered huge setbacks in their learning journey.”

Despite significant efforts by governments, low connectivity and access to digital devices have severely hindered efforts to introduce distance education. In India, 42% of 6-13 year olds reported not using any form of distance learning during school closures. In Pakistan, 23% of young children did not have a device that could support distance learning. Poor and underprivileged families have been affected the most, with many families struggling to buy even a single appliance.

Even when devices are available, UNICEF research indicates that they are not often used and that children’s access to them is often limited.

The research found that student-teacher engagement, when regular and reciprocated, is a strong predictor of children’s learning success, especially for younger students. However, surveys found that most students had little or no contact with their teachers after the school closed.

In parallel, investment in teachers will ensure that teachers and schools can adapt to all situations. Jorge Laria- Adje said that the more teachers are trained, equipped and supported on distance and blended learning, the better they will be able to reach all their students. “This is a significant investment that we need to make for children as the region prepares for future waves of Covid-19. We need to build systems that can weather any storm and keep children learning, no matter what the circumstances.”

To ensure that children continue to learn, UNICEF called on governments to prioritize safely reopening all schools, while also ensuring that children are able to access quality education remotely, if Teachers should be able to assess children’s learning levels and capture through governments to ensure this, if necessary. Prioritize vaccination of teachers to support the safe reopening of schools.

UNICEF called on governments to train and equip teachers to better reach children and adolescents with limited or no access to technology, through a combination of modalities including mobile devices, TV, radio and printed materials.

If added, school administrators and education officials should provide more guidance for teachers to engage with their students and use a variety of learning techniques.

Even before the pandemic, about 60% of children in South Asia were unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. In addition, 12.5 million children at the primary level and 16.5 million at the lower secondary level were out of school.