COVID-19 increased educational divide: UNESCO report

The pandemic COVID-19 has aggravated inequalities in education systems across the globe. According to a UNESCO report released on Tuesday, about 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries are unable to support learners which increased the risk of exclusion during this un-inevitable crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities. The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report pointed out that efforts to maintain learning continuity during the lockdown may have actually worsened exclusion trends. During the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of students around the world were out of school.

During this chaotic environment distance learning or e-learning has emerged as a substitute for classroom instruction education.

The report, point-out that many third world countries opted for radio and television as a medium for classes, 55% of low-income, 73% of lower-middle-income, and 93% of upper-middle-income countries acquired online learning platforms for primary and secondary education.

India has opted mix of all three systems for educational continuity. “Governments excessive rely on technology; created a digital divide between having and have not. Not all students and teachers have access to an appropriate internet connection, equipment, required skills, and working conditions to take advantage of these available platforms,” said the report.

School closures also interrupted the flow of the support system of many disadvantaged learners. Resources for blind and deaf students may not be available outside schools, while children with learning disabilities or those who are on the autism spectrum may struggle with independent work in front of a computer or the disruption of daily school routines, said the report. For poor students who depend on school for free meals or even free sanitary napkins, closures have been a major blow. Cancellation of examinations in many countries, including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers’ judgments of students instead, which could be affected by stereotypes of certain types of students, said the report. Higher drop-out rates are also a concern; during an earlier Ebola epidemic in Africa, many older girls never returned to school once the crisis was over.