New Delhi: There is a “Disaster Consequence” from the closing of a prolonged school in the country because Covid-19, with more than 37 percent of students in rural areas do not study at all and 48 percent cannot read more than a few words, the latest surveys have claimed .
The learning survey of school children and offline (school) schools, titled “Locked: Emergency Reports on School Education”, which involved nearly 1,400 students from households that were less able to do in August in 15 states and trade union states.
It was released on Monday.
“The image that emerged from this survey was truly gloomy.
In rural areas, only 28 percent of children learned regularly during the survey, and 37 percent did not study at all.
Simple reading test results are mainly worrying: almost half of all Children in the sample cannot read more than a few words, “he said.
The numbers are suitable for students who study regularly, do not study at all, and cannot read more than a few words in urban areas each of 47 percent, 19 percent and 42 percent, claimed surveys.
The main findings of school surveys are focused on the relatively seizure hamlet where children generally attend government schools.
Schools and other educational institutions throughout the country have been closed for more than one and a half years since the beginning of the pandemic.
Following a real increase in Covid-19 situations, several states reopened school in a gradual way of September.
According to the report, the proportion of children who are learning online regularly only 24 percent and eight percent in urban and rural areas.
The lack of money, poor connectivity, or no access to smartphones is some of the reasons behind the “very limited” range of online education among sample students, the recording records.
“One reason for this is that many household samples (about half in rural areas) do not have a smartphone.
But it’s just the first hurdle: even among households with a smartphone, the proportion of children who are learning online is only 31 percent.
In urban areas and 15 percent in rural areas.
Smartphones are often used by adults who work, and maybe or may not be available for school children, especially younger siblings (only nine percent of all children school surveys have their own smartphones ), “That explains.
Even among poor households, these numbers are “far worse” for Dalit and Adivating families than for others, both for online education, regular studies, or reading abilities, claiming surveys.
For example, only “four percent” SC / SC Pindalaan children are learning online regularly, compared to 15 percent among other rural children.
Nearly half of them can read more than a few letters in reading tests, surveys added.
According to the survey, the majority of parents felt that the ability to read and write their children declined during locking.
Even among urban parents with “online children”, the proportion feels as high as “65 percent”.
“In the sample overall, only four percent of parents feel that the ability to read and write their children has improved during locking – something that should be the norm.
The proportion of parents who feel that their child has adequate online access is only 23 percent in urban areas And eight percent in rural areas, “he said.
Among the parents of Rural SC / St, the Mammoth School “98 percent” wants to be reopened as soon as possible.
However, according to the report, reopens the school, which is still debated, is only the “first step” and will take years to work to “repair this damage”.
“Even preparations for the first step (such as repairing the school building, issuing safety guidelines, training teachers, registration drives) are almost not visible in many countries.
After that, the school system needs to go through the expanded transition period not only to enable children.
Pursue lags with a reasonable curriculum but also to recover their psychological, social and nutritional welfare.
When things stand, the system seems to be business as usual when the school opens back – this is a recipe for disaster, “it was warned.
Surveys conducted in 15 states and union areas – including Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – are joint efforts from nearly 100 volunteers throughout the country.
This report was prepared by the Coordination Team, including people like economists Jean Drèze and Nirali Baklaha.