COVID-19 and Global Education: Evidence from India

Schools closed across the globe in March 2020, affecting 1.6 billion learners, constituting 91% of all enrolled students in the world and 99% in low-income countries. India had one of the longest durations of school closures, more than twice the global average, with schools starting to open fully only in 2022. Even regularly scheduled school closures result in learning loss, which is typically larger for children from weaker socioeconomic backgrounds. In the case of the pandemic, these effects are likely to be magnified, both in terms of the magnitude of the learning loss and its unequal distribution. In this chapter, we focus on the impact of the pandemic on education in India. Using the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), nationally representative surveys conducted during 2020 and 2021, we present findings on children’s access to learning opportunities and educational support available at home in rural India. In addition, ASER provides new data on learning loss for three states in India. While the state was extremely successful in providing textbooks to children during this period, it was less so in providing other learning materials, such as access to remote classes or other online resources. In states where a field survey to assess learning levels could be done, there was a learning loss of over a year. With a shock like this to the system, going back to “business as usual” when schools reopen is not really an option. The chapter discusses some of the academic strategies that can be implemented successfully to face current teaching–learning challenges.