How school closures have hurt our less fortunate students more

Less than a quarter of children from low-income urban households, and only 8% of rural ones, were studying online regularly as of August, according to economists led by Nirali Bakhla, Jean Dreze, Vipul Paikra and Reetika show the findings published Monday by a team of researchers. Khera. The team last month surveyed 1,400 school children from poor families in 15 states.

Previous surveys have also reported learning shocks during the pandemic, but the latest comes at a time when children are preparing to advance grade two from their pre-pandemic levels despite little evidence of learning. Epidemiologists have argued that in some parts of the country, Covid-19 numbers are low enough to warrant staggered school opening with caution.

Almost half of the rural sample surveyed reported no smartphone in the household. One of them, the device was not specifically for a child, connectivity was poor, and data was expensive. There was also little actual study going on for online students: Among rural households with Internet access, 43% of parents said the school was not sending content online. More than 40% said that their children find it difficult to follow online classes.

The result: more than a third of children up to grade 4 could read only a few letters, and could not read words or sentences in their own language. Most parents, especially children with no Internet access, felt that their children’s ability to read had declined.

uneven damage

The concern for learning loss was particularly acute in SC and ST households. About 55% of children in these communities do not have access to a smartphone, while 38% of the children surveyed have, a finding confirmed by other surveys. Only 4% of children from marginalized groups were studying online regularly.

At least 43% were not studying, while the proportion of people from more privileged communities was 25%.

As a result, SC and ST children were almost twice as likely to be unable to read more than a few letters, the survey found. More than 80% of parents in these groups felt their children’s literacy was affected during the pandemic. The effective literacy rate for SC and ST children aged 10 to 14 years was 61%, while it was 77% for others, raising fears that the achievement gap could widen.

mounting evidence

Even before the pandemic, India’s school children had low literacy and numbers, as recorded by the annual Status of Education Report by the nonprofit Pratham. But the new survey adds to growing evidence that the pandemic has exacerbated these problems.

A study by the Azim Premji University in January covering more than 16,000 children in five states found that most children between grades 2 and 6 had lost at least one language and mathematical ability when their schools closed. Had gone. Reading fluency suffered the most in the lower grades, and Verbal expression at high grades.

“Last year, the child who was in class 3 is now in class 4, and little has happened in the current session,” a teacher from Madhya Pradesh told the surveyors.[Next] The child will be in class 5. How can that child be brought to the level of learning of Class 5? [M]Mostly the situation is that some children have not even maintained the level of learning of Class III.”

growing danger

Now when India’s pandemic School closures extended for the longest timeExperts fear that reversing learning losses will not be easy. In a 2020 study, economists Tahir Andrabi, Benjamin Daniels and Jishnu Das found that test scores of children affected by Pakistan’s 2005 earthquake put them 1.5 to two years behind unaffected peers. If the deficit continues, they may lose their 15% Earning potential every year for the rest of their lives.

“Maybe in the form of these for the next 10-30 years” [pandemic-affected] As children transition into the labor market, we are going to see depressed earnings,” Das said.

An August survey reported that parents, especially in rural areas, wanted schools to reopen, along with fears over the safety and mental health of children if they stayed home. As many older children begin to return to schools, parents will be watching the doors of primary schools to see if they open further.

(Rukmini S. is a Chennai-based journalist. Devangi Halder assisted with research for this article)