Masum Billah :
Corona pandemic has engulfed the entire globe and as a member of global village Bangladesh shares its brunt. The damage caused by Corona in the health sector is visible whereas the damage and loss in the education sector remains invisible that invites a great concern. Hence problem is invisible and not easily measurable, its remedies and proper steps to redress it remains in confusion. The Non-government research organization ‘Power and Participatory Research Centre (PPRC)’ and BRAC University of Development and Governance (BIGD) jointly conducted a research that recommends reopening schools as a remedy.
A telephonic survey was conducted by them in three stages across the country to learn how the poverty changes its shape due to Corona spanning the period from April 2020 to March 2021. The second part of the third stage is ‘the impact of Covid on the education of children’. The survey was done on 6 thousand 99 families giving importance to three issues such as – the type of school, location of the school and sex of the respondents. Ultra poor, middle poor, risky poor and not poor families were included in the survey. The research reveals that 19 percent students of primary level and 25 percent in the secondary level students have gone out of their usual study activities that have raised the concern of their parents. Before Corona pandemic 21 percent school going children of secondary level and 14 percent of primary level used to drop out that tends to increase during pandemic. Many of them have stopped their education. However, six ways have been identified in the study through which learners continue their studies such as self-study without any supervision, study with the help of family members, distance education through online or TV, coaching and private tuition and transferring from school to madrasa. If proper measures are not taken, they will lose their already acquired learning skills and ultimately dropout. About 26 per cent girls and 30 per cent boys of urban area run the risk of learning loss. The ultra-poor family children going to secondary school may dropout 33 percent due to financial crisis during corona pandemic.
The tendency to study in madrasa leaving schools has increased four-fold and expenditure to get enrolled in madrasa in the primary level has doubly increased. We can learn from the research presentation that 95 percent guardians show interest to send their children back to school, although their economic condition appears grim. From June 2020 to March 2021 the education expenditure has increased twelve times that necessarily has created crisis in offering education facilities to the learners. School going children have got involved in income generating activities and this rate is 8 percent among boys and 3percent among girls. The children aged between ten and twenty suffer double mental pressure in 15.7 percent in urban and 8.4percent in rural areas. The symptoms of this pressure are identified as becoming impatient, showing anger and getting afraid to go outside. Becoming afraid to go out is more in rural area students than in country sides. Parents’ conduct and involvement in their wards’ education have also been observed that shows 48 percent parents are concerned about the learning loss of their children whereas 59 percent are concerned about their wards’ reluctance to study. 46 percent guardians are anxious of increased education expenditure while only 14 percent parents show their concern about corona infection. 44 percent are anxious of the debarred examinations. 31 percent guardians show their concern about the job opportunity with the auto pass certificate in future.
Three principal crises have come out because of the long time closure of schools and they are– learning loss, increase of educational expenditure and social distance in different levels creating a dangerous vacuum in many aspects of our personal, social and state life. So, opening schools to decrease the students’ averseness to study and narrowing guardians’ fear and anxiety for education stands as a big voice. About sixty lac students of primary and secondary are prone to dropout risk who need to be lifted up otherwise they will certainly drop out of education. It’s true that from government’s end efforts were made to reach out to the learners as alternative means to education. Airing recorded class on Sangsad TV and radios can be cited that actually reached 56 percent students as this research ventilates. Of course, CAMPE reports this number as 49 percent. Still, it’s effectiveness remains as a big question that is really difficult to measure and no such report is available so far. World Economic Forum in one of its research findings revealed that 65 students who are now enrolled in primary education will see a total different picture while they will have to enter job market. It clearly gives the message that our education must correspond to the fast changing world and due to Corona pandemic it must be faster.
(Masum Billah works as an education expert in BRAC Education and President: English Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (ETAB).
(To be Continued)
