Unequal experience of COVID-induced remote schooling in four developing countries

Abstract

Lockdown measures during the pandemic have resulted in school closure worldwide affecting nearly 9 out of 10 students. Consequently, remote schooling has become a growing phenomenon. However, due to a lack of infrastructural capacity and widespread poverty, the experience of remote learning in developing countries may have been unequal by pupils' socioeconomic status, gender and location. This study draws evidence from a phone survey conducted by Young Lives (YL) in Ethiopia, two states of India, Peru and Vietnam enquiring which sociodemographic groups are benefiting more from remote schooling. Logit regression results suggest that students from wealthier households, urban areas and with internet access from all countries are more likely to experience remote schooling. Pupils from higher-educated households in all countries but Peru also tend to have alternative schooling. Additionally, apart from Peru, the gender difference in experiencing remote learning is not found significant. We suggest that access to remote learning resources for marginalised students would be paramount to reduce inequality in learning loss in the global South.

Lessons Learned from Education Initiatives Implemented During the First Wave of COVID-19: A Literature Review

“…Even though the majority of countries implemented remote learning strategies in response to COVID-19 and school closures, there have been widespread challenges in implementation. Access to remote learning approaches has been confounded by a variety of factors, including infrastructure, socioeconomic status, location, and gender (Hossain, 2021;Yorke et al, 2021).…”

“…Generally, this is due to infrastructure and access to resources, which are influenced by learners' socioeconomic status, geographic location, and gender (Hossain, 2021;Yorke et al, 2021).…”

“…This is reinforced by recent research across 46 countries by Save the Children, wh ich found that over two thirds of learners did not have any contact with their teachers during school closures, and over a quarter of learners did not have access to learning materials (Gordon, 2020). There has been a disproportionate impact on vulnerable and marginalised learner s, confounded by the digital divide and access to resources, their geographical location, gender, and socioeconomic status, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Hossain, 2021). In Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, and Uganda, it has been estimated that learners have lost between half and over one year's worth of learning, defined as learning deterioration and opportunity cost (Angrist, de Barros et al, 2020).…”

“You cannot pour from an empty cup!”: child well-being service providers’ and policymakers’ professional supervision, coping and well-being during COVID-19

“…Those pandemic-induced disruptions in children’s formal and informal support systems have exposed, and have been amplified by, pre-existing structural inequalities – further marginalising children at risk (Davidson et al , 2020; United Nations, 2020; Save the Children International, 2020; Goldman et al , 2020). Children living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been disproportionately affected by the adverse welfare, public health and humanitarian consequences of the pandemic (UNICEF, 2020, 2021; Simba et al , 2020; Hossain, 2021).…”

Resilience: Myanmar students’ experiences of overcoming eLearning challenges during COVID 19 and political instability

“…Researchers in the West have been proactive in examining how schools and universities experienced and managed this process (see, for example, https://www.open.ac.uk/projects/leading-online-learning/ in the UK and Appolloni et al, 2021 in Italy). However, less is known about the situation in developing nations, although one recent study noted a disparity between urban and rural areas in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam (Hossain, 2021 ).…”