Does Internet Access Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on School Re-Enrollment Rates? Evidence from Mexico

Abstract

COVID-19 has affected all areas of society, including education. Nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries had their face-to-face education interrupted due to the closure of educational institutions during the peak of the pandemic, forcing many to resort to online schooling. However, not all students, families or schools could support this new form of schooling, leading to many choosing not to re-enroll. This raised the research question that we aimed to address and explore-did internet access mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on school re-enrollment rates? The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on school re-enrollment rates, focusing on the role of internet access and an additional independent variable-the duration of school closures. Our research sought to determine whether internet access mitigates the effects of COVID-19 on school re-enrollment rates in Mexican municipalities. Looking at data from 2012 to 2022, the findings highlight the significant role of connectivity in mitigating the impact of COVID-19-related school closures on primary school re-enrollment rates. While the study offers valuable insights for Mexico, it also opens the door for comparative studies with similar countries and further investigations into the digital divide's nuances.