Impact of School Closure During the COVID-19 Pandemic – What Must Be Done When Schools Reopen

Schools are slowly reopening across the country after almost 18 months of closure, which translates to about one and a half academic years. Roughly, states require about 200 school days in each academic year – so our schools have been closed for about 300 school days or about 50 school weeks. Even if high schools did open briefly, attendance was reported to be poor, and they were shut down again following the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alternatives to regular schooling have been available for some children, mostly through the use of technology. However, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that these modes have not resulted in learning. A survey of teachers reveals that in no case has the curriculum been completed in entirety. Worse, children have forgotten what they knew already, when schools closed.

A school-based system for regular tracking of recovery from learning loss and acquisition of class-appropriate abilities must be put in place.

This was due to the long disconnect. This ‘forgetting,’ along with the absence of the learning that would have happened if schools had been open, is being termed as ‘learning loss’. This learning loss is usually quantified in terms of the months or years of learning that children are ‘behind’ the class-appropriate learning.

This situation is not peculiar to our country. Schools have suffered either full or partial closure during the pandemic. While full closure indicates a situation wherein all schools are closed across the country due to COVID-19, partial closure refers to school closures in some regions or for some grades, or a blended mode with components of both in-person classes and remote learning.

However, in both situations, regular teaching-learning and the interactions that go on in schools and classrooms are missing. An ongoing survey of 143 countries revealed that in 2020, schools were fully closed across all education levels for 79 school days on an average. The duration of school closures ranged from 53 days in high-income countries to 115 days in lower- and middle-income countries.

Estimates of learning loss across the world also show a relationship with the duration of school closure. To illustrate, teachers surveyed in Japan estimated that there was less than a month of learning loss after 11 weeks of school closure. In the case of Brazil, with 57 weeks of school closure, a simulation based on available data showed that gains of the past many years had been lost. Children had regressed to a level of proficiency recorded four years ago (between 2015 and 2017) in language and three years ago in mathematics (2017) in terms of final elementary school grades. In Netherlands, after 31 weeks of school closure, children were estimated to have lost 8 weeks of learning. Children in South Africa, after 42 weeks of school closure, were estimated to have lost one entire year of learning.

This loss is more severe in the case of children in their earlier years of schooling. For instance, school closure lasted 27 weeks in the United Kingdom, with an estimated loss of three months of learning. However, teachers reported that younger children had forgotten even how to hold a pencil when schools reopened. In Brazil, the ‘worst affected’ group was of children in elementary school.

The signs that a large proportion of children are at risk of dropping out of school are already visible.

School closure has affected some children more than others. Irrespective of whether the country is high-, middle- or low-income, children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities have been disproportionately affected. Studies show that children from less-educated homes and students of color suffered greater losses of learning.

To illustrate, in the United States of America, students of color were three to five months behind, while white students were just one to three months behind in language and mathematics. In the Netherlands, losses were up to 60% larger among students from less-educated homes. In Brazil, the worst affected population groups were children of color, indigenous children, and children whose mother did not complete elementary school.

So what are countries doing to address this situation? The academic year has been extended in some countries (e.g. through reducing vacations) while others have decided to focus on certain curricular areas or outcomes (e.g. language and mathematics in the earlier years). Some countries, mostly high- or upper-middle-income countries, are planning to implement remedial measures to address learning gaps for primary and secondary school students when schools reopen. At the same time, while a large proportion of countries are not planning any adjustments to cater for school closure, some have made an investment towards addressing learning loss, with specific interventions being planned by schools.

These interventions include summer school during vacations, with particular focus on language and mathematics, combined with fun activities to motivate students; increasing staff; intensive individualized support as part of the school day; enrichment activities like interest-based projects in science and social science; special support measures for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds; hiring additional specialized teachers; counselling for students; and special support measures for students in psychological distress.

Estimates of learning loss across the world also show a relationship with the duration of school closure.

As schools reopen, there is a lesson to be drawn from the past as well. The Ebola pandemic of 2014-16 impacted seven countries most seriously. A study conducted in two of these, namely Guinea and Sierra Leone, revealed that dropout rate post-Ebola exceeded the expected pre-Ebola value. The largest increase in school dropouts was among secondary school students from marginalized communities in rural areas in both countries.

The signs that a large proportion of children are at risk of dropping out of school are already visible. While reports speak of increased enrolment in public schools as a result of private schools shutting down, or because of the inability of parents to pay fees, tracking learners who have not returned to school must be a priority as schools reopen. More importantly, we also need to track learners who return to schools but then drop out as a result of the long period of disconnect from schooling and an inability to keep up with learning due to the learning loss they have suffered.

Studies show that children from less-educated homes and students of color suffered greater losses of learning. The question now is – what should we be doing to mitigate the impact of school closure? First, we must ensure that children return to schools. Schools in turn must offer them a warm and inclusive environment. We must make sure that our teachers feel safe, and have the autonomy to plan how to engage with children. Teachers must decide how long they want to take to involve children in school and classroom processes gradually, till the old routines are established. They must be supported through suitable materials and the capacity to engage classrooms with a wide diversity of learning levels.

The curriculum cannot automatically switch from the online to the offline mode. It must be reset with prioritization of learning outcomes. At the primary stage, focus must be on languages and mathematics. In the middle school, this focus must continue with an integrated approach to achieving learning outcomes across subjects. At the secondary and senior secondary levels, core learning outcomes for each subject must be identified and be the focus of learning.

This must be a holistic exercise in curriculum revision, not done piecemeal for stages or simply by choosing chapters from textbooks. Teachers must be capacitated to make commensurate approaches to pedagogy and assessment. A school-based system for regular tracking of recovery from learning loss, and acquisition of class-appropriate abilities, must be put in place.

We must also be ready for disruptions – children may be coming to schools in shifts or on alternate days, the school day may be shorter, subsequent waves of COVID-19 infection may cause school closure once again. Decisions on opening schools must be decentralized to the level of clusters or gram panchayats, and the community must be involved in this process.

All actions must be informed by the fact that what is at risk is not just the learning of the current generation of school goers. The gains we have made in the past and the learning of future generations is equally at risk.

Notes

1. Azim Premji Foundation. 2020. Myths of online education. https://archive.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/SitePages/pdf/ Myths_of_online_education.pdf; Oxfam India. (2020). Status report – government and private schools during COVID-19. https://www.oxfamindia.org/knowledgehub/oxfaminaction/status-report-governmentand-private-schools-during-covid-19
2. Azim Premji Foundation. (2021). Open schools, focus on recovering lost learning: Clear voice of teachers. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/2021/report/open-schoolsfocus-on-recovering-lost-learning-clearvoice-of-teachers
3. Azim Premji Foundation. (2021). Loss of learning during the pandemic. https:// azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/field-studiesin-education/loss-of-learning-during-thepandemic
4. UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and OECD (2021). What’s Next? Lessons on Education Recovery: Findings from a Survey of Ministries of Education amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Paris, New York, Washington D.C.: UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank. http://uis. unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/ lessons_on_education_recovery.pdf
5. Ikeda, M., Yamaguchi, S. (2021). Online learning during school closure due to COVID-19. The Japanese Economic Review, Vol 72, pp 471-507; Lichand, G., Dória, C.A., Neto, O.L., Cossi, J. (2021). The impacts of remote learning in secondary education: Evidence from Brazil during the pandemic. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/The-Impacts-of-RemoteLearning-in-Secondary-Education-Evidencefrom-Brazil-during-the-Pandemic.pdf; Engzell, P., Frey, A., Verhagen, M.D. (2021). Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. PNAS, Vol 118. https://www.pnas.org/content/118/17/e2022376118; UNICEF. (2021). Learners in South Africa up to one school year behind where they should be. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/learners-south-africa-oneschool-year-behind-where-they-should-be
6. Chen, L., Dorn, E., Sarakatsannis, J., Wiesinger, A. (2021). Teacher survey: Learning loss is global – and significant. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-socialsector/our-insights/teacher-survey-learningloss-is-global-and-significant; Lichand, G., Dória, C.A., Neto, O.L., Cossi, J. (2021). The impacts of remote learning in secondary education: Evidence from Brazil during the pandemic. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/TheImpacts-of-Remote-Learning-in-SecondaryEducation-Evidence-from-Brazil-during-thePandemic.pdf
7. Chen, L., Dorn, E., Sarakatsannis, J., Wiesinger, A. (2021). Teacher survey: Learning loss is global – and significant. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-andsocial-sector/our-insights/teacher-surveylearning-loss-is-global-and-significant; Lichand, G., Dória, C.A., Neto, O.L., Cossi, J. (2021). The impacts of remote learning in secondary education: Evidence from Brazil during the pandemic. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/The-Impacts-of-Remote-Learning-inSecondary-Education-Evidence-from-Brazilduring-the-Pandemic.pdf; Engzell, P., Frey, A., Verhagen, M.D. (2021). Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. PNAS, Vol 118. https://www.pnas. org/content/118/17/e2022376118
8. Smith, W.C. (2021). Consequences of school closure on access to education: Lessons from the 2013–2016 Ebola pandemic. International Review of Education, 67, pp. 53–78
9. Save the Children. (2020). A generation at stake. Saving India’s children from the impact of COVID-19. https://www.savethechildren.in/pdfs/A%20GENERATION%20AT%20STAKE_REPORT_FINAL_3.pdf