Covid-19 and loss of learning explained by Nobel Laureate Abhijeet Banerjee
Covid-19 and loss of learning explained by Nobel Laureate Abhijeet Banerjee
Nobel
Laureate Abhijeet Banerjee explained how Covid-19 has impacted the education
system and the economy. He also informed how to overcome this loss.
Schools
have been reopening in India after a long break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Learning losses due to school closures are one of the biggest global threats to
long-term recovery from Covid-19 and the economic cost will be severe if
corrective action is not taken urgently, according to Nobel laureate Abhijeet
Banerjee.
Noting that temporary school closures will cause permanent damage he said
merely reopening schools will not be enough and not measuring learning losses
and taking steps to integrate children back into the system will be a 'recipe
for disaster'.
Covid-19: Impact on education and
economy
"The
short- and long-term impact of the Covid-19 crisis on children's education,
wellbeing, and future productivity is profound. Almost two years after schools
began closing in most countries across the world, governments need to take
urgent steps to limit the damage.
Estimates suggest the economic cost of lost learning from the
crisis will be in the trillions of US dollars if corrective action is not
urgently taken," Banerjee told PTI in an telephonic interview from
Massachusetts in the US.
"While many other sectors have rebounded when lockdowns ease,
the damage to children's education is likely to reduce children's wellbeing and
productivity for decades, making education disruption and learning losses due
to school closures one of the biggest threats to medium- and long-term recovery
from Covid-19 unless governments act swiftly," he added.
Why do schools need to reopen?
"Schools
need to reopen and be kept open as far as possible but that is not going to be
enough.
Addressing the issue of dropouts to ensure they return to school
and also having a plan for reintegrating children back into the school system
is very important.
"Not measuring learning losses and acting as per the results
will be an absolute recipe for disaster. We need to acknowledge that children
will definitely fall behind and urgent action needs to be taken to reduce the
gap and minimise the earning losses," he said.
Covid-19:
Measures to be taken by schools
Providing teachers with simple teaching guides combined with
strong monitoring and feedback systems can help them structure their
pedagogical approach and ensure that children learn effectively. Additional
tutoring can also help children catch-up," Banerjee said.
"In addition to necessitating urgent recovery efforts, the
pandemic offers a rare opportunity to rethink and reset education provision so
children across all identities, socioeconomic backgrounds and circumstances can
learn and thrive," he added.
Keep schools remain opened
Banerjee
also warned against closing schools again unless there is an aggressive variant
of COVID-19 which puts children at extremely high risk.
"Even in the case of new outbreaks, schools should be the
last institution to close and the first to reopen, given the relatively low
risk of transmission and the high cost to youth. If there is an aggressive
variant of Covid-19 which puts children at extremely high risk, of course,
nobody will want the children to be dying. But if that is not the situation, I
believe we should avoid closing schools further," he said.
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