The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' skills - case study

The educational system represents one of the most important pillars of a society. It contributes significantly to the formation of the labour supply in an economy, as well as to its economic development. It is well known that education, both secondary and tertiary, has a direct influence on the reduction of economic gaps between regions. However, the education system has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. During online classes, the teaching-learning-evaluation activity suffered. The present paper is trying to capture, on one side, what changes were brought by COVID-19 pandemic and, on the other side, how affected the students’ knowledge was. A poorer preparation of students leads to a poorer prepared workforce. Therefore, this analysis is relevant for a better understanding of the present educational system. Method: This case study is based on a statistical analysis carried out following a survey in a high school in Bucharest. The advantages of this method consist in the possibility of providing anonymous answers, which means that the data are not biased, and in the accessibility of the data. Through the survey, data could be collected that would not otherwise be available through official statistics. Thus, statistical survey offers a systematic and reliable approach to collecting data, making them a valuable tool for research. Applying the questionnaire face to face, 265 answers were obtained from young people aged between 15-17 years. They are part of the students of the "Ion Creanga" high school in Bucharest and are representative of the school population of Bucharest. Results: The survey results are interesting. The students answered honestly, and this is valuable in the given context. They say that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the educational system has undergone an accelerated digitization, which is beneficial. The students declare that digital teaching tools are currently used in many of the lessons. Also, they use digital learning tools at school or at home. Regarding the evaluation, students declare that they cheat most of the online evaluations, while this is more difficult in the case of classic evaluations. They also declare that the grades obtained during the exclusively online courses do not reflect reality. This is important to underline precisely because it illustrates a poor preparation of the students in that period and a gap in their knowledge. These results provide an overview of the post-pandemic Romanian educational system. Originality: The originality of the work consists mainly in the collected data. They reflect a reality of the educational system and provide relevant information about the quality of the lessons held during the pandemic, but also afterwards. Also, highlighting these results allows for a clearer picture on the changes brought by the pandemic on the skills that nowadays students have. It is a subject of interest both for the institutions of the educational system and for any other person interested in this subject.