The assessment of schoolchildren distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The issue of organization of schoolchildren education during the COVID-19 pandemic has gained particular relevance in connection with the massive transition to this form of education in most regions of Russia. At the same time, regulatory and methodological acts regulating the organization of this form of education of children in terms of pedagogical and hygienic issues that ensure the success of the school program and guarantee the safety for the health of schoolchildren have not been developed so far. The purpose of the research is to conduct a hygienic assessment of distance learning implemented by educational organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to study the organization of this education form and its impact on a child, a sociological study was conducted. The research program included the study of changes in the prevailing stereotypes of behavior in schoolchildren, the daily routine and nutrition, the organization of the educational process, motion behaviour and physical activity, the psycho-emotional state of the schoolchildren. In the course of the work, the results of questionnaire survey of 64 228 respondents, representatives of 73 subjects of the Russian Federation were studied. In the course of the study, it was found that distance learning was accompanied by changes in the usual daily routine, which determine significant risks to the child’s health. In particular, there was a reduction in the time spent by children on the street; an increase in the duration of homework and screen time; deterioration in the perception of educational material and its assimilation. Distance learning, implemented by general education organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, did not provide an adequate level of prevention of health disorders, did not take into account the physiological characteristics of children, the readiness of families to accept distance learning, including in terms of equipping workplaces for children. This significantly increased the health risks of schoolchildren.