Learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years could cost the current generation of students $17 trillion in lifetime earnings, the current value. A study report jointly published by the World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF said that the impact caused by the pandemic could be more severe than previously estimated and could exceed the $10 trillion estimate released in 2020.
The report, ‘State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery’, estimated that in low- and middle-income countries where the share of children living in learning poverty was already 53 per cent before the pandemic, this figure may well be It can reach 70 percent due to prolonged school closures and the ineffectiveness of distance learning.
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Many other countries such as Brazil, rural India, Pakistan, Mexico, South Africa have shown considerable loss in maths and reading. The data shows that for some counties, learning loss is proportional to the length of school closure. However, there was also great variation across countries and by subject, as well as on the socioeconomic status, gender and grade level of students.
With few exceptions, global data suggested that children from low-income households, children with disabilities and girls are more likely to have no access to distance education. This was due to the lack of accessible technologies and the availability of electricity, connectivity and equipment, as well as discrimination and gender norms.
Younger students, especially those who were in the preschool age or early developmental stage, were more affected by learning loss than older students. This was due to non-availability and ineffectiveness of distance education for the youth.
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The report finds that the pandemic has been more damaging to the most marginalized and vulnerable sections. Countries such as Ghana, Mexico and Pakistan had higher learning losses for students of lower socioeconomic status. The loss was far greater for girl students as they are the first to lose the protection that school and education provide for their well-being and opportunities for life.
Less than 3 percent of the government’s stimulus package for the COVID-19 pandemic was allocated to education. If governments intend to reverse the effects of learning loss, more investment in this area is needed.
With a focus on reopening physical classrooms, the report advised governments to undertake learning recovery programs aimed at ensuring that students of this generation attain at least the same competencies as the previous generation.
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