How Covid has affected education for rural communities
In March 2019, a virus broke out in Wuhan, China. This virus quickly spread worldwide, affecting millions of people and bringing many challenges. This widespread disease has disrupted the way we live. One of the largest disruptions is to education. About 40 percent of the poorest countries (which are often rural) did not support students during the COVID-19 crisis. This article explains how Covid has affected education for rural communities.
Before the pandemic, the widening educational gap was already a cause for concern. Over 72 million children of primary education age are not in school and 759 million adults are unable to read or write. Researchers in Canada estimate the pandemic could increase the gap by more than 30 per cent.
During this period, many schools are closed. Students from richer families can afford remote learning tools to continue their education. However, students from lower-income communities lag behind because of no access to such digital resources. There is a growing concern in developing countries like the Philippines and India that these learners do not have the proper support. The disruption makes it hard for lower-income students to catch up with schoolwork.
Education for marginalised groups of students has also become harder. Students with special needs, such as autism and dyslexia, need more resources and attention. This may not always be in reach for rural communities. Hence, the educational gap will widen in rural communities, showing how covid has affected education in rural communities.
The worldwide disruption of the economy because of Covid has resulted in a significant loss of jobs. This is hard for those in rural communities, as many children may have to drop out of school to support their families. UNESCO estimates that 23.8 million children and youth may drop out of school next year because of the pandemic’s economic impact alone. This has certainly show how Covid has affected education, especially in rural communities.
The previously mentioned school closures make girls and young women in rural communities more vulnerable to child marriage, early pregnancy, and domestic violence–all of which increase their likelihood of dropping out of school, widening the educational gender gap.
In rural communities, schools also provide children with extra resources, such as paid school meals and support systems. Closed schools stop such help from reaching the most vulnerable families in rural communities.
The Patatas have come up with a solution to the challenges preventing rural communities from getting an education – CaseStudy. CaseStudy is a briefcase packed with customisable audio-visual materials important for conducting classes in rural communities, even in the middle of COVID lockdowns.
The materials can range from weekly modular learning worksheets to videos of a local teacher in your school. Teachers can load different files into it based on their teaching style and their students’ learning pace.
