22pc primary, 30pc secondary students at risk of learning loss

In rural areas and urban slums, at least 22 percent of primary and 30 percent of secondary students are currently at risk of being deprived of education due to school closure.
The crisis triggered by the pandemic - a consequence of a long, nationwide school closure - has worsened considerably in the past six months.
The Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) jointly conducted the survey as part of a larger and multi-phase study on Covid-19 livelihoods and recovery panel survey.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman of Executive Chairman of PPRC and Dr Imran Matin, Executive
Director of BIGD presented the findings at a webinar held in Dhaka on Monday.
The research was conducted first in March 2021 and later in August to examine the changes in the educational life of children. Timing of the study provides a good baseline for school reopening realities.
In the survey, many children were found not studying at all, self-studying without supervision, studying irregularly via online classes or studying with family members or private tutors. The survey identified these children to be at risk of learning loss.
From March to August 2021, there is a worrying upward trend in learning loss risk among both primary and secondary school children across income groups and both in rural areas and urban slums.
The trend is most pronounced among secondary male students; 26pc were at risk of learning loss in March, which jumped to 34pc in August.
Main modes of distance learning - pre-recorded classes on TV and online and real-time online classes - were used by a very small fraction of students in both periods.
While 56pc of primary and 65pc of secondary students received private tutoring or coaching in March; the rate declined to 48pc and 43pc in August.
Family support in studying has also decreased significantly since March, particularly for secondary students, most likely due to the resumption of activities and livelihoods pressures.
However, the hybrid method of assignments (a mix of interactive and non-interactive) became the most widely adopted distance-learning tool in August.
Yet only 18pc of the primary students and 38pc of the secondary students were learning through assignments in August.
Students and teachers were in minimal contact during the survey period, interacting mainly when students came to collect assignments.
The survey indicates that socioeconomic disparities play a role in the learning loss crisis.
The survey finds a direct relationship between a child's learning loss risk and their mother's education level. Children whose mothers never went to school were at the highest risk.
The students with access to coaching or private tutoring prior to the pandemic make up an overwhelming majority of those who can still afford and access it.
It also finds that 44pc and 36pc of rural and urban slum households respectively did not have access to any electronic devices for online learning. Over eight percent of school-going boys were engaged in income-generating activities in both periods.
The pandemic has exacerbated educational inequality, which was already a major concern in our country.