Impacts of COVID-19 on school education

Summary:

The Covid-19 pandemic led to physical school closures and a transition to online learning. While such closures were common across the European Union (EU), their duration was different across and within countries. The transition to online learning found school systems ill-prepared. Students, teachers but also parents we re not ready for the sudden shift to online education. In part, this was due to low levels of digitalisation, including both the availability of and access to digital solutions for online and blended education and the digital skills of teachers and students.

The adopted solutions differed considerably depending on variables such as students’ age, students’ and teachers’ digital competences, and school resources. In addition to digital issues, the home environment of children influenced strongly the learning conditions. Elements such as parental situation (e.g. employment status, remote or essential worker status, availability and ability to support children) and housing conditions (e.g. space, sound, and comfort) were important factors influencing learning. Evidence from research carried out in the first stages of the pandemic pointed to negative results, rising inequalities, and potential long-term gaps in learning. Studies found evidence of an increase in the attainment gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, differences in results between public and private schools, and that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had fewer opportunities to engage in learning activities.

The early research findings indicated that in the absence of any remedial measures and catching up, the pandemic would leave a permanent effect on the educational achievements of a whole generation and, amongst other negative effects, lead to worse future job prospects and lower earnings. As the pandemic developed, education systems around the EU implemented remedial actions to help educational communities navigate the transition. Such actions included funding to support the digital transition, hiring additional teaching staff, and providing health and sanitary measures. This support often paid special attention to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and special needs. Furthermore, several countries organised summer camps to close learning gaps amongst students and to mitigate expected learning losses

The findings from research carried out in the later stages of the pandemic paint a more nuanced picture on any lasting legacy of Covid-19 school disruptions. Evidence suggests than remedial actions can help address overall learning gaps. Nevertheless, inequalities remained and in specific cases were widened. Education systems have shown to be adaptive and resilient, and have reminded everyone of their central role in societies. It is important to continue monitoring an evolving situation, and to implement remedial actions and structural changes, which are especially targeted to support the most dis advantaged and address pre-existing educational inequalities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

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