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Telementoring and Homeschooling During School Closures: a Randomised Experiment in Rural Bangladesh

Author

Listed:
  • Hashibul Hassan
  • Asad Islam
  • Abu Siddique
  • Liang Choon Wang

Abstract

Using a randomised experiment in 200 Bangladeshi villages, we evaluate the impact of an over-the-phone learning support intervention (telementoring) among primary school children and their mothers during Covid-19 school closures. Post-intervention, treated children scored 35% higher on a standardised test, and the homeschooling involvement of treated mothers increased by 22 minutes per day (26%). We also found that the intervention forestalled treated children's learning losses. When we returned to the participants one year later, after schools briefly reopened, we found that the treatment effects had persisted. Academically weaker children benefited the most from the intervention that only cost USD20 per child.

Suggested Citation

  • Hashibul Hassan & Asad Islam & Abu Siddique & Liang Choon Wang, 2024. "Telementoring and Homeschooling During School Closures: a Randomised Experiment in Rural Bangladesh," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(662), pages 2418-2438.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:134:y:2024:i:662:p:2418-2438.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueae014
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    Cited by:

    1. Aparicio, Juan P. & Cook, Nikolai & Mikola, Derek & Rogeberg, Ole & Valenta, David & Wiebe, Michael & Bonander, Carl & Brodeur, Abel, 2025. "Comment on "Telementoring and Homeschooling during School Closures: A Randomized Experiment in Rural Bangladesh" by Hassan et al," I4R Discussion Paper Series 240, The Institute for Replication (I4R).
    2. Noam Angrist & Peter Bergman & Moitshepi Matsheng, 2022. "Experimental evidence on learning using low-tech when school is out," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(7), pages 941-950, July.
    3. Abhijeet Singh & Mauricio Romero & Karthik Muralidharan, 2022. "Covid-19 Learning Loss and Recovery: Panel Data Evidence from India," NBER Working Papers 30552, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Tomoki Fujii & Christine Ho & Rohan Ray & Abu S. Shonchoy, 2025. "Boosting Study Habits with High-Frequency Information: A Field Experiment to Aid Disadvantaged Students," Working Papers 2501, Florida International University, Department of Economics.
    5. Gallego, Francisco A. & Molina, Oswaldo & Neilson, Christopher A., 2025. "Lights, camera, school: Information provision though television during COVID-19 times," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    6. Beam, Emily A. & Mukherjee, Priya & Navarro-Sola, Laia, 2022. "Lowering Barriers to Remote Education: Experimental Impacts on Parental Responses and Learning," IZA Discussion Papers 15596, IZA Network @ LISER.
    7. Zoido, Pablo & Flores-Ceceña, Iván & Székely, Miguel & Hevia, Felipe J. & Castro, Eleno, 2024. "Remote tutoring with low-tech means to accelerate learning: Evidence for El Salvador," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    8. Silke Anger & Bernhard Christoph & Agata Galkiewicz & Shushanik Margaryan & Malte Sandner & Thomas Siedler, 2025. "Online Tutoring, School Performance, and School-to-Work Transitions: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial," Berlin School of Economics Discussion Papers 0084, Berlin School of Economics.
    9. Tatiana Milena Rodríguez Moreno & Hernando Bayona-Rodríguez, 2025. "Recuperación de aprendizajes postpandemia: evidencia del programa Viva la Escuela en Colombia [Post-Pandemic Learning Recovery: Evidence from the Viva la Escuela Program in Colombia]," Documentos CEDE 2025-30, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    10. Hassan, Hashibul & Islam, Asad & Kayes, Imrul & Wang, Liang Choon, 2025. "Building education resilience through parenting style and out-of-school learning: Field experimental evidence from rural Bangladesh," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    11. Liang Choon Wang & Michael Vlassopoulos & Asad Islam & Hashibul Hassan, 2024. "Delivering Remote Learning Using a Low-Tech Solution: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Bangladesh," Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(3), pages 562-601.
    12. Harry Anthony Patrinos, 2022. "Learning loss and learning recovery," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(2), pages 183-188, June.
    13. Székely, Miguel & Flores-Ceceña, Iván & Hevia, Felipe & Calderón, David, 2024. "Measuring learning losses from delayed return to school: Evidence from Mexico," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    14. Crawfurd, Lee & Evans, David K. & Hares, Susannah & Sandefur, Justin, 2023. "Live tutoring calls did not improve learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • P46 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training; Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty

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