speech on covid 19 effect on education

Here's how COVID-19 affected education – and how we can get children’s learning back on track

Nearly 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling between 2020 and 2022. Image:  Unsplash/Taylor Flowe

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• As well as its health impacts, COVID-19 had a huge effect on the education of children – but the full scale is only just starting to emerge.
• As pandemic lockdowns continue to shut schools, it’s clear the most vulnerable have suffered the most.
• Recovering the months of lost education must be a priority for all nations.

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic on 11 March 2020, few could have foreseen the catastrophic effects the virus would have on the education of the world’s children.

During the first 12 months of the pandemic, lockdowns led to 1.5 billion students in 188 countries being unable to attend school in person, causing lasting effects on the education of an entire generation .

As an OECD report into the effects of school closures in 2021 put it: “Few groups are less vulnerable to the coronavirus than school children, but few groups have been more affected by the policy responses to contain the virus.”

Although many school closures were announced as temporary measures, these shutdowns persisted throughout 2020 – and even beyond in some cases.

As late as March 2022, UNICEF reported that 23 countries, home to around 405 million schoolchildren, had not yet fully reopened their schools . As China battled to contain new COVID-19 outbreaks, schools were closed in Shanghai and Xian in October 2022.

COVID has ended education for some

Nearly 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling between 2020 and 2022, UNICEF says. And it warns that many, especially the most vulnerable, are at risk of dropping out of education altogether.

The danger is highlighted by UNICEF data showing that 43% of students did not return when schools in Liberia reopened in December 2020. The number of out-of-school children in South Africa tripled from 250,000 to 750,000 between March 2020 and July 2021, UNICEF adds.

When schools in Uganda reopened after being closed for two years, almost one in ten children were missing from classrooms. And in Malawi, the dropout rate among girls in secondary education increased by 48% between 2020 and 2021.

Out-of-school children are among the most vulnerable and marginalized children in society, says UNICEF. They are the least likely to be able to read, write or do basic maths, and when not in school they are at risk of exploitation and a lifetime of poverty and deprivation, it says.

Lost learning time

Even when children are in school, the amount of learning time they have lost to the pandemic is compounding what UNICEF describes as “a desperately poor level of learning” in 32 low-income countries it has studied.

“In the countries analyzed, the current pace of learning is so slow that it would take seven years for most schoolchildren to learn foundational reading skills that should have been grasped in two years, and 11 years to learn foundational numeracy skills,” the charity says.

Analysis of the crisis by UNESCO, published in November 2022, found that the most vulnerable learners have been hardest hit by the lack of schooling. It added that progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for Education had been set back.

In Latin America and the Caribbean – a region that suffered one of the longest periods of school closures – average primary education scores in reading and maths could have slipped back to a level last seen 10 years ago , the World Bank says.

Four out of five sixth graders may not be able to adequately understand and interpret a text of moderate length, the bank says. As a result, these students are likely to earn 12% less over their lifetime than if their education had not been curtailed by the pandemic, it estimates.

Widening the achievement gap

In India, the pandemic has widened the gaps in learning outcomes among schoolchildren with those from disenfranchised and vulnerable families falling furthest behind, according to a 2022 report by the World Economic Forum.

Even where schools tried to keep teaching using remote learning, the socio-economic divide was perpetuated. In the United States, a study found children’s achievement in maths fell by 50% more in less well-off areas , compared to those in more affluent neighbourhoods.

One year on: we look back at how the Forum’s networks have navigated the global response to COVID-19.

Using a multistakeholder approach, the Forum and its partners through its COVID Action Platform have provided countless solutions to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, protecting lives and livelihoods.

Throughout 2020, along with launching its COVID Action Platform , the Forum and its Partners launched more than 40 initiatives in response to the pandemic.

The work continues. As one example, the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs is supporting 90,000 social entrepreneurs, with an impact on 1.4 billion people, working to serve the needs of excluded, marginalized and vulnerable groups in more than 190 countries.

Read more about the COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, our support of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemics Preparedness and Innovations (CEPI), and the COVAX initiative and innovative approaches to solve the pandemic, like our Common Trust Network – aiming to help roll out a “digital passport” in our Impact Story .

Consultancy firm McKinsey says that US students were on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the 2020-21 school year. Disadvantaged students were hit hardest, with Black students losing six months of learning on average.

Researchers in Japan found a similar pattern, with disadvantaged children and the youngest suffering most from school closures. They said the adverse effects of being forced to study at home lasted longest for those with poorest living conditions .

However, in Sweden, where schools stayed open during the pandemic, there was no decline in reading comprehension scores among children from all socio-economic groups, leading researchers to conclude that the shock of the pandemic alone did not affect students’ performance.

Getting learning back on track

So what can be done to help the pandemic generation to recover their lost learning ?

The World Bank outlines 10 actions countries can take, including getting schools to assess students’ learning loss and monitor their progress once they are back at school.

Catch-up education and measures to ensure that children don’t drop out of school will be essential, it says. These could include changing the school calendar, and amending the curriculum to focus on foundational skills.

There’s also a need to enhance learning opportunities at home, such as by distributing books and digital devices if possible. Supporting parents in this role is also critical, the bank says.

Teachers will also need extra help to avoid burnout, the bank notes. It highlights a “need to invest aggressively in teachers’ professional development and use technology to enhance their work”.

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How is COVID-19 affecting student learning?

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, initial findings from fall 2020, megan kuhfeld , megan kuhfeld senior research scientist - nwea @megankuhfeld jim soland , jim soland assistant professor, school of education and human development - university of virginia, affiliated research fellow - nwea @jsoland beth tarasawa , bt beth tarasawa executive vice president of research - nwea @bethtarasawa angela johnson , aj angela johnson research scientist - nwea erik ruzek , and er erik ruzek research assistant professor, curry school of education - university of virginia karyn lewis karyn lewis director, center for school and student progress - nwea @karynlew.

December 3, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced uncertainty into major aspects of national and global society, including for schools. For example, there is uncertainty about how school closures last spring impacted student achievement, as well as how the rapid conversion of most instruction to an online platform this academic year will continue to affect achievement. Without data on how the virus impacts student learning, making informed decisions about whether and when to return to in-person instruction remains difficult. Even now, education leaders must grapple with seemingly impossible choices that balance health risks associated with in-person learning against the educational needs of children, which may be better served when kids are in their physical schools.

Amidst all this uncertainty, there is growing consensus that school closures in spring 2020 likely had negative effects on student learning. For example, in an earlier post for this blog , we presented our research forecasting the possible impact of school closures on achievement. Based on historical learning trends and prior research on how out-of-school-time affects learning, we estimated that students would potentially begin fall 2020 with roughly 70% of the learning gains in reading relative to a typical school year. In mathematics, students were predicted to show even smaller learning gains from the previous year, returning with less than 50% of typical gains. While these and other similar forecasts presented a grim portrait of the challenges facing students and educators this fall, they were nonetheless projections. The question remained: What would learning trends in actual data from the 2020-21 school year really look like?

With fall 2020 data now in hand , we can move beyond forecasting and begin to describe what did happen. While the closures last spring left most schools without assessment data from that time, thousands of schools began testing this fall, making it possible to compare learning gains in a typical, pre-COVID-19 year to those same gains during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from nearly 4.4 million students in grades 3-8 who took MAP ® Growth™ reading and math assessments in fall 2020, we examined two primary research questions:

• How did students perform in fall 2020 relative to a typical school year (specifically, fall 2019)?
• Have students made learning gains since schools physically closed in March 2020?

To answer these questions, we compared students’ academic achievement and growth during the COVID-19 pandemic to the achievement and growth patterns observed in 2019. We report student achievement as a percentile rank, which is a normative measure of a student’s achievement in a given grade/subject relative to the MAP Growth national norms (reflecting pre-COVID-19 achievement levels).

To make sure the students who took the tests before and after COVID-19 school closures were demographically similar, all analyses were limited to a sample of 8,000 schools that tested students in both fall 2019 and fall 2020. Compared to all public schools in the nation, schools in the sample had slightly larger total enrollment, a lower percentage of low-income students, and a higher percentage of white students. Since our sample includes both in-person and remote testers in fall 2020, we conducted an initial comparability study of remote and in-person testing in fall 2020. We found consistent psychometric characteristics and trends in test scores for remote and in-person tests for students in grades 3-8, but caution that remote testing conditions may be qualitatively different for K-2 students. For more details on the sample and methodology, please see the technical report accompanying this study.

In some cases, our results tell a more optimistic story than what we feared. In others, the results are as deeply concerning as we expected based on our projections.

Question 1: How did students perform in fall 2020 relative to a typical school year?

When comparing students’ median percentile rank for fall 2020 to those for fall 2019, there is good news to share: Students in grades 3-8 performed similarly in reading to same-grade students in fall 2019. While the reason for the stability of these achievement results cannot be easily pinned down, possible explanations are that students read more on their own, and parents are better equipped to support learning in reading compared to other subjects that require more formal instruction.

The news in math, however, is more worrying. The figure below shows the median percentile rank in math by grade level in fall 2019 and fall 2020. As the figure indicates, the math achievement of students in 2020 was about 5 to 10 percentile points lower compared to same-grade students the prior year.

Figure 1: MAP Growth Percentiles in Math by Grade Level in Fall 2019 and Fall 2020

Source: Author calculations with MAP Growth data. Notes: Each bar represents the median percentile rank in a given grade/term.

Question 2: Have students made learning gains since schools physically closed, and how do these gains compare to gains in a more typical year?

To answer this question, we examined learning gains/losses between winter 2020 (January through early March) and fall 2020 relative to those same gains in a pre-COVID-19 period (between winter 2019 and fall 2019). We did not examine spring-to-fall changes because so few students tested in spring 2020 (after the pandemic began). In almost all grades, the majority of students made some learning gains in both reading and math since the COVID-19 pandemic started, though gains were smaller in math in 2020 relative to the gains students in the same grades made in the winter 2019-fall 2019 period.

Figure 2 shows the distribution of change in reading scores by grade for the winter 2020 to fall 2020 period (light blue) as compared to same-grade students in the pre-pandemic span of winter 2019 to fall 2019 (dark blue). The 2019 and 2020 distributions largely overlapped, suggesting similar amounts of within-student change from one grade to the next.

Figure 2: Distribution of Within-student Change from Winter 2019-Fall 2019 vs Winter 2020-Fall 2020 in Reading

Source: Author calculations with MAP Growth data. Notes: The dashed line represents zero growth (e.g., winter and fall test scores were equivalent). A positive value indicates that a student scored higher in the fall than their prior winter score; a negative value indicates a student scored lower in the fall than their prior winter score.

Meanwhile, Figure 3 shows the distribution of change for students in different grade levels for the winter 2020 to fall 2020 period in math. In contrast to reading, these results show a downward shift: A smaller proportion of students demonstrated positive math growth in the 2020 period than in the 2019 period for all grades. For example, 79% of students switching from 3 rd to 4 th grade made academic gains between winter 2019 and fall 2019, relative to 57% of students in the same grade range in 2020.

Figure 3: Distribution of Within-student Change from Winter 2019-Fall 2019 vs. Winter 2020-Fall 2020 in Math

It was widely speculated that the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to very unequal opportunities for learning depending on whether students had access to technology and parental support during the school closures, which would result in greater heterogeneity in terms of learning gains/losses in 2020. Notably, however, we do not see evidence that within-student change is more spread out this year relative to the pre-pandemic 2019 distribution.

The long-term effects of COVID-19 are still unknown

In some ways, our findings show an optimistic picture: In reading, on average, the achievement percentiles of students in fall 2020 were similar to those of same-grade students in fall 2019, and in almost all grades, most students made some learning gains since the COVID-19 pandemic started. In math, however, the results tell a less rosy story: Student achievement was lower than the pre-COVID-19 performance by same-grade students in fall 2019, and students showed lower growth in math across grades 3 to 8 relative to peers in the previous, more typical year. Schools will need clear local data to understand if these national trends are reflective of their students. Additional resources and supports should be deployed in math specifically to get students back on track.

In this study, we limited our analyses to a consistent set of schools between fall 2019 and fall 2020. However, approximately one in four students who tested within these schools in fall 2019 are no longer in our sample in fall 2020. This is a sizeable increase from the 15% attrition from fall 2018 to fall 2019. One possible explanation is that some students lacked reliable technology. A second is that they disengaged from school due to economic, health, or other factors. More coordinated efforts are required to establish communication with students who are not attending school or disengaging from instruction to get them back on track, especially our most vulnerable students.

Finally, we are only scratching the surface in quantifying the short-term and long-term academic and non-academic impacts of COVID-19. While more students are back in schools now and educators have more experience with remote instruction than when the pandemic forced schools to close in spring 2020, the collective shock we are experiencing is ongoing. We will continue to examine students’ academic progress throughout the 2020-21 school year to understand how recovery and growth unfold amid an ongoing pandemic.

Thankfully, we know much more about the impact the pandemic has had on student learning than we did even a few months ago. However, that knowledge makes clear that there is work to be done to help many students get back on track in math, and that the long-term ramifications of COVID-19 for student learning—especially among underserved communities—remain unknown.

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Paul Reville says COVID-19 school closures have turned a spotlight on inequities and other shortcomings

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

As former secretary of education for Massachusetts, Paul Reville is keenly aware of the financial and resource disparities between districts, schools, and individual students. The school closings due to coronavirus concerns have turned a spotlight on those problems and how they contribute to educational and income inequality in the nation. The Gazette talked to Reville, the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at Harvard Graduate School of Education , about the effects of the pandemic on schools and how the experience may inspire an overhaul of the American education system.

Paul Reville

GAZETTE: Schools around the country have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Do these massive school closures have any precedent in the history of the United States?

REVILLE: We’ve certainly had school closures in particular jurisdictions after a natural disaster, like in New Orleans after the hurricane. But on this scale? No, certainly not in my lifetime. There were substantial closings in many places during the 1918 Spanish Flu, some as long as four months, but not as widespread as those we’re seeing today. We’re in uncharted territory.

GAZETTE: What lessons did school districts around the country learn from school closures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and other similar school closings?

REVILLE:   I think the lessons we’ve learned are that it’s good [for school districts] to have a backup system, if they can afford it. I was talking recently with folks in a district in New Hampshire where, because of all the snow days they have in the wintertime, they had already developed a backup online learning system. That made the transition, in this period of school closure, a relatively easy one for them to undertake. They moved seamlessly to online instruction.

Most of our big systems don’t have this sort of backup. Now, however, we’re not only going to have to construct a backup to get through this crisis, but we’re going to have to develop new, permanent systems, redesigned to meet the needs which have been so glaringly exposed in this crisis. For example, we have always had large gaps in students’ learning opportunities after school, weekends, and in the summer. Disadvantaged students suffer the consequences of those gaps more than affluent children, who typically have lots of opportunities to fill in those gaps. I’m hoping that we can learn some things through this crisis about online delivery of not only instruction, but an array of opportunities for learning and support. In this way, we can make the most of the crisis to help redesign better systems of education and child development.

GAZETTE: Is that one of the silver linings of this public health crisis?

REVILLE: In politics we say, “Never lose the opportunity of a crisis.” And in this situation, we don’t simply want to frantically struggle to restore the status quo because the status quo wasn’t operating at an effective level and certainly wasn’t serving all of our children fairly. There are things we can learn in the messiness of adapting through this crisis, which has revealed profound disparities in children’s access to support and opportunities. We should be asking: How do we make our school, education, and child-development systems more individually responsive to the needs of our students? Why not construct a system that meets children where they are and gives them what they need inside and outside of school in order to be successful? Let’s take this opportunity to end the “one size fits all” factory model of education.

GAZETTE: How seriously are students going to be set back by not having formal instruction for at least two months, if not more?

“The best that can come of this is a new paradigm shift in terms of the way in which we look at education, because children’s well-being and success depend on more than just schooling,” Paul Reville said of the current situation. “We need to look holistically, at the entirety of children’s lives.”

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard file photo

REVILLE: The first thing to consider is that it’s going to be a variable effect. We tend to regard our school systems uniformly, but actually schools are widely different in their operations and impact on children, just as our students themselves are very different from one another. Children come from very different backgrounds and have very different resources, opportunities, and support outside of school. Now that their entire learning lives, as well as their actual physical lives, are outside of school, those differences and disparities come into vivid view. Some students will be fine during this crisis because they’ll have high-quality learning opportunities, whether it’s formal schooling or informal homeschooling of some kind coupled with various enrichment opportunities. Conversely, other students won’t have access to anything of quality, and as a result will be at an enormous disadvantage. Generally speaking, the most economically challenged in our society will be the most vulnerable in this crisis, and the most advantaged are most likely to survive it without losing too much ground.

GAZETTE: Schools in Massachusetts are closed until May 4. Some people are saying they should remain closed through the end of the school year. What’s your take on this?

REVILLE: That should be a medically based judgment call that will be best made several weeks from now. If there’s evidence to suggest that students and teachers can safely return to school, then I’d say by all means. However, that seems unlikely.

GAZETTE: The digital divide between students has become apparent as schools have increasingly turned to online instruction. What can school systems do to address that gap?

REVILLE: Arguably, this is something that schools should have been doing a long time ago, opening up the whole frontier of out-of-school learning by virtue of making sure that all students have access to the technology and the internet they need in order to be connected in out-of-school hours. Students in certain school districts don’t have those affordances right now because often the school districts don’t have the budget to do this, but federal, state, and local taxpayers are starting to see the imperative for coming together to meet this need.

Twenty-first century learning absolutely requires technology and internet. We can’t leave this to chance or the accident of birth. All of our children should have the technology they need to learn outside of school. Some communities can take it for granted that their children will have such tools. Others who have been unable to afford to level the playing field are now finding ways to step up. Boston, for example, has bought 20,000 Chromebooks and is creating hotspots around the city where children and families can go to get internet access. That’s a great start but, in the long run, I think we can do better than that. At the same time, many communities still need help just to do what Boston has done for its students.

Communities and school districts are going to have to adapt to get students on a level playing field. Otherwise, many students will continue to be at a huge disadvantage. We can see this playing out now as our lower-income and more heterogeneous school districts struggle over whether to proceed with online instruction when not everyone can access it. Shutting down should not be an option. We have to find some middle ground, and that means the state and local school districts are going to have to act urgently and nimbly to fill in the gaps in technology and internet access.

GAZETTE : What can parents can do to help with the homeschooling of their children in the current crisis?

“In this situation, we don’t simply want to frantically struggle to restore the status quo because the status quo wasn’t operating at an effective level and certainly wasn’t serving all of our children fairly.”

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REVILLE: School districts can be helpful by giving parents guidance about how to constructively use this time. The default in our education system is now homeschooling. Virtually all parents are doing some form of homeschooling, whether they want to or not. And the question is: What resources, support, or capacity do they have to do homeschooling effectively? A lot of parents are struggling with that.

And again, we have widely variable capacity in our families and school systems. Some families have parents home all day, while other parents have to go to work. Some school systems are doing online classes all day long, and the students are fully engaged and have lots of homework, and the parents don’t need to do much. In other cases, there is virtually nothing going on at the school level, and everything falls to the parents. In the meantime, lots of organizations are springing up, offering different kinds of resources such as handbooks and curriculum outlines, while many school systems are coming up with guidance documents to help parents create a positive learning environment in their homes by engaging children in challenging activities so they keep learning.

There are lots of creative things that can be done at home. But the challenge, of course, for parents is that they are contending with working from home, and in other cases, having to leave home to do their jobs. We have to be aware that families are facing myriad challenges right now. If we’re not careful, we risk overloading families. We have to strike a balance between what children need and what families can do, and how you maintain some kind of work-life balance in the home environment. Finally, we must recognize the equity issues in the forced overreliance on homeschooling so that we avoid further disadvantaging the already disadvantaged.

GAZETTE: What has been the biggest surprise for you thus far?

REVILLE: One that’s most striking to me is that because schools are closed, parents and the general public have become more aware than at any time in my memory of the inequities in children’s lives outside of school. Suddenly we see front-page coverage about food deficits, inadequate access to health and mental health, problems with housing stability, and access to educational technology and internet. Those of us in education know these problems have existed forever. What has happened is like a giant tidal wave that came and sucked the water off the ocean floor, revealing all these uncomfortable realities that had been beneath the water from time immemorial. This newfound public awareness of pervasive inequities, I hope, will create a sense of urgency in the public domain. We need to correct for these inequities in order for education to realize its ambitious goals. We need to redesign our systems of child development and education. The most obvious place to start for schools is working on equitable access to educational technology as a way to close the digital-learning gap.

GAZETTE: You’ve talked about some concrete changes that should be considered to level the playing field. But should we be thinking broadly about education in some new way?

REVILLE: The best that can come of this is a new paradigm shift in terms of the way in which we look at education, because children’s well-being and success depend on more than just schooling. We need to look holistically, at the entirety of children’s lives. In order for children to come to school ready to learn, they need a wide array of essential supports and opportunities outside of school. And we haven’t done a very good job of providing these. These education prerequisites go far beyond the purview of school systems, but rather are the responsibility of communities and society at large. In order to learn, children need equal access to health care, food, clean water, stable housing, and out-of-school enrichment opportunities, to name just a few preconditions. We have to reconceptualize the whole job of child development and education, and construct systems that meet children where they are and give them what they need, both inside and outside of school, in order for all of them to have a genuine opportunity to be successful.

Within this coronavirus crisis there is an opportunity to reshape American education. The only precedent in our field was when the Sputnik went up in 1957, and suddenly, Americans became very worried that their educational system wasn’t competitive with that of the Soviet Union. We felt vulnerable, like our defenses were down, like a nation at risk. And we decided to dramatically boost the involvement of the federal government in schooling and to increase and improve our scientific curriculum. We decided to look at education as an important factor in human capital development in this country. Again, in 1983, the report “Nation at Risk” warned of a similar risk: Our education system wasn’t up to the demands of a high-skills/high-knowledge economy.

We tried with our education reforms to build a 21st-century education system, but the results of that movement have been modest. We are still a nation at risk. We need another paradigm shift, where we look at our goals and aspirations for education, which are summed up in phrases like “No Child Left Behind,” “Every Student Succeeds,” and “All Means All,” and figure out how to build a system that has the capacity to deliver on that promise of equity and excellence in education for all of our students, and all means all. We’ve got that opportunity now. I hope we don’t fail to take advantage of it in a misguided rush to restore the status quo.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

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Education: From COVID-19 school closures to recovery

After the historic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools are back open worldwide but education is still in recovery assessing the damage done and lessons learned. Education: The pandemic affected more than 1.6 billion students and youth globally, with the most vulnerable learners being hit hardest. Some gains already made towards the goals of the 2030 Education Agenda were lost. 

From the outset UNESCO's Education Sector worked with ministries of education, public and private partners and civil society to ensure continued learning for all children and youth. The Sector's work is now focused on prioritizing education as a public good for everyone in order to avoid a generational catastrophe and drive sustainable recovery. 

• Read more on UNESCO's initiatives during and after the pandemic

A multi-sector Coalition to protect the right to education during unprecedented disruption from response to recovery #LearningNeverStops

Monitoring of school closures

Throughout the pandemic, in close cooperation with ministers of education, UNESCO monitored the evolution of school closures around the world. Data presented in the interactive map show the evolution from February 2020 to June 2022. Download the data here .

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General assembly, 19 september 2022, secretary-general's opening remarks at the transforming education summit, antónio guterres.

[All-English version; scroll down for bilingual, as delivered, and all-French versions]

Excellencies,

Dear young people, teachers, parents and partners.

Throughout my life, education has been my guide and touchstone.

I regard myself as a lifelong student.

And I have drawn great inspiration from my work as a teacher, many decades ago.

Without education, where would I be? Where would any of us be?

Every single person in this room knows education transforms lives, economies and societies.

But we also know we must transform education.

Because education is in a deep crisis.

Instead of being the great enabler, education is fast becoming a great divider.

Some 70 percent of 10-year-olds in poor countries are unable to read a basic text.

Either they are out of school, or in school but barely learning.

Even in developed countries, education systems often entrench rather than reduce inequality, reproducing it across generations.

The rich have access to the best resources, schools and universities, leading to the best jobs, while the poor – especially girls – face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives.

Displaced people and students with disabilities face the highest obstacles of all. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on learning worldwide, and dealt a hammer blow to progress on SDG4.

But the education crisis began long before – and runs much deeper.

The report card from the International Commission on the Future of Education put it clearly: education systems don’t make the grade.

They are failing students and societies, by favouring rote learning and competition for grades.

Too often, curricula are outdated and narrow.

Education systems take little account of lifelong learning.

Teachers are under-trained, undervalued and underpaid.

The digital divide penalizes poor students.

And the education financing gap yawns wider than ever.

We will not end this crisis by simply doing more of the same, faster or better.

Now is the time to transform education systems.

So dear world leaders,

Your people, the world’s young people and future generations are calling on you to act with vision and purpose.

A new vision for education in the 21st century is taking shape.

Above all, quality education must support the development of the individual learner throughout his or her life.

It must help people learn how to learn, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration.

It must provide the foundations for learning, from reading, writing and mathematics to scientific, digital, social and emotional skills.

It must also develop students’ capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work.

It must be accessible to all from the earliest stages and throughout their lives.

And it must help us learn to live and work together, and to understand ourselves and our responsibilities to each other and to our planet.

At a time of rampant misinformation, climate denial and attacks on human rights, we need education systems that distinguish fact from conspiracy, instill respect for science, and celebrate humanity in all its diversity.

To move from this vision to reality, allow me to highlight five areas for your attention and commitment.

First, we must protect the right to quality education for everyone, especially girls. Everywhere.

Schools must be open to all, without discrimination.

We must recover the years of education lost around the world because of the pandemic.

Quality education for all means tackling the crisis in foundational learning and ensuring it is life-long.

And placing a greater focus on education in crisis hotspots.

From this platform, I appeal to the authorities in Afghanistan: Lift all restrictions on girls’ access to secondary education immediately.

Girls’ education is among the most important steps to deliver peace, security and sustainable development, everywhere.

Second, teachers are the lifeblood of education systems.

We need a new focus on their roles and skillsets.

Today’s teachers need to be facilitators in the classroom, promoting learning rather than merely transmitting answers.

We also need to tackle the global shortage of teachers, and look at increasing their quality, by raising their status and ensuring they have decent working conditions and continuous training and learning opportunities, and receive adequate salaries.

Third, schools must become safe, healthy spaces, with no place for violence, stigma or intimidation. 

Education systems should promote the physical and mental health of all students – including their sexual and reproductive health.

Fourth, the digital revolution must benefit all learners.

I urge countries to improve connectivity for students and educational institutions. Our own Giga initiative aims to get all schools online.

But connectivity in itself doesn’t provide an education.

I encourage governments and teachers to work with private sector partners on high-quality digital education content for all.

Fifth, finance.  

None of this will be possible without a surge in education financing and global solidarity.

During these difficult times, I urge all countries to protect education budgets and ensure that education spending translates into progressive increases in resources per student and better learning outcomes.  

Education financing must be the number one priority for Governments. It is the single most important investment any country can make in its people and its future.

The international community has a critically important role to play.

I urge development partners to reverse cuts and to dedicate at least 15 percent of official development assistance to education.

International financial institutions should make resources and fiscal space available for developing countries to invest.

Their spending and policy advice should be aligned with delivering quality education for all.  

I also urge IFIs to draw upon the International Finance Facility for Education.  

This facility is a new tool that aims to mobilize $10 billion to help 700 million children in lower-middle-income countries to access quality education.

Dear friends,

The Transforming Education Summit will only achieve its global goals by mobilizing a global movement.

Governments, young people, civil society, teachers, business leaders and philanthropists are stepping up.

The United Nations is joining forces, through UNESCO, UNICEF and our UN teams on the ground.

Let’s move forward together, so that everyone can learn, thrive and dream throughout their lives.

Let’s make sure today’s learners and future generations can access the education they need, to create a more sustainable, inclusive, just and peaceful world for all.

*************************************************************************************

[Bilingual, as delivered, version]

Displaced people and students with disabilities face the highest obstacles of all.  

Third, schools must become safe, healthy spaces, with no place for violence, stigma or intimidation.  

Excellences, 

En quatrième lieu, la révolution numérique doit profiter à tous les élèves.

Je demande aux États de faire en sorte que les étudiants et les établissements d’enseignement soient mieux connectés. À cet égard, notre initiative Giga vise à mettre toutes les écoles en ligne.

Mais la connectivité – en elle-même – ne suffit pas pour offrir une éducation.

J’encourage les gouvernements et les enseignants à collaborer avec les partenaires du secteur privé pour développer des contenus éducatifs numériques de haute qualité pour toutes et tous.

Cinquièmement, la question du financement.

Rien de tout cela ne sera possible sans une augmentation du financement de l’éducation et sans un élan de solidarité mondiale contre les inégalités   En ces temps difficiles, j’exhorte tous les pays à protéger les budgets consacrés à l’éducation et à veiller à ce que leurs dépenses dans ce domaine se traduisent par une augmentation progressive des ressources par élève et par de meilleurs résultats scolaires.

Le financement de l’éducation doit être la priorité numéro un des gouvernements. C’est le meilleur investissement qu’un pays puisse faire dans sa population et son avenir.

La communauté internationale a un rôle crucial à jouer.

Je demande aux partenaires de développement d’annuler les réductions d’aide et de consacrer au moins 15 % de l’aide publique au développement à l’éducation.

Les institutions financières internationales doivent apporter des ressources aux pays en développement et leur laisser des marges de manœuvre budgétaire pour qu’ils puissent investir.

Leurs dépenses et leurs conseils doivent correspondre à l’objectif d’assurer une éducation de qualité pour toutes et tous. J’invite également les institutions financières internationales à tirer parti de la Facilité internationale de financement pour l’éducation.

Cet outil vise à mobiliser 10 milliards de dollars pour aider quelque 700 millions d’enfants vivant dans les pays à revenu intermédiaire de la tranche inférieure à recevoir une éducation de qualité.

Chers amis,

Le Sommet sur la Transformation de l’Éducation ne pourra atteindre ses objectifs globaux qu’en suscitant un mouvement mondial.

Les gouvernements, les jeunes, la société civile, les enseignants, les chefs d’entreprise et les donateurs se mobilisent.

L’ONU rassemble toutes ses forces, grâce à l’action de l’UNESCO, de l’UNICEF et des équipes des Nations Unies présentes sur le terrain. Avançons ensemble, afin que chacun puisse apprendre, s’épanouir et rêver tout au long de son existence.

Faisons en sorte que les élèves d’aujourd’hui et les générations futures puissent accéder à l’éducation dont ils ont besoin, afin de créer un monde plus durable, plus inclusif, plus juste et plus pacifique – pour toutes et pour tous.

Je vous remercie.

***************************************************************

[All-French version]

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Chers jeunes gens, enseignants, parents et partenaires,

L’éducation a toujours été un guide pour moi et joué un rôle essentiel dans ma vie.

Je me considère comme un étudiant à vie.

Mon activité d’enseignant a été une grande source d’inspiration, il y a plusieurs décennies.

Si je n’avais pas reçu d’éducation, qui sait ce que je serais devenu. Où serions-nous, toutes et tous ?

Chaque personne ici présente sait que l’éducation transforme les vies, les économies et les sociétés.

Mais nous savons aussi qu’il nous faut transformer l’éducation.

Car l’éducation traverse une crise profonde.

Au lieu de nous rapprocher, l’éducation est en train de devenir une source de grande division.

Dans les pays pauvres, 70 % des enfants de 10 ans sont incapables de lire un texte élémentaire.

Soit ils sont déscolarisés, soit ils vont à l’école mais apprennent à peine.

Même dans les pays développés, les systèmes éducatifs creusent souvent les inégalités au lieu de les réduire, et ce de génération en génération.

Les riches ont accès aux meilleures ressources, écoles et universités, ce qui leur permet d’obtenir les meilleurs emplois, tandis que les pauvres – en particulier les filles – rencontrent d’énormes obstacles pour obtenir les qualifications qui pourraient changer leur vie.

Les personnes déplacées et les étudiants handicapés se heurtent aux obstacles les plus importants.

La pandémie de COVID-19 a eu des effets dévastateurs sur l’apprentissage dans le monde entier, et a porté un coup aux progrès réalisés concernant l’Objectif de développement durable no 4.

Mais la crise de l’éducation a commencé bien avant cela – et elle est bien plus profonde.

Le carnet de notes de la Commission internationale sur Les futurs de l’éducation est clair : les systèmes éducatifs ne sont pas à la hauteur.

Ils laissent tomber les élèves et les sociétés, en favorisant l’apprentissage par cœur et la course à la meilleure note.

Trop souvent, les programmes d’étude sont dépassés et limités.

Les systèmes éducatifs ne laissent pratiquement aucune place à l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie.

Les enseignants ne sont pas assez formés, ne sont pas appréciés à leur juste valeur et sont sous-payés.

La fracture numérique pénalise les étudiants pauvres.

Et le fossé du financement de l’éducation est plus large que jamais.

Ce n’est pas en nous contentant de faire plus, plus vite ou mieux que nous mettrons fin à cette crise.

L’heure est venue de transformer les systèmes éducatifs.

Mesdames et Messieurs les dirigeants,

Vos concitoyens, les jeunes du monde entier et les générations futures vous demandent de faire preuve d’ambition et de détermination.

Une nouvelle conception de l’éducation au XXIe siècle est en train de prendre forme.

Avant toute chose, un enseignement de qualité est essentiel au développement de l’apprenant individuel tout au long de sa vie.

Il doit l’aider à apprendre à apprendre, en privilégiant le règlement des problèmes et la collaboration.

Il doit lui offrir les bases de l’apprentissage, que ce soit la lecture, l’écriture et les mathématiques mais aussi des compétences scientifiques, numériques, sociales et émotionnelles.

Il doit aussi donner aux étudiants les moyens de s’adapter à l’évolution rapide du monde du travail.

Il doit être accessible à chacun et à chacune dès son plus jeune âge et tout au long de la vie.

Enfin, il doit nous aider à apprendre à vivre et à travailler ensemble, à nous comprendre et à comprendre nos responsabilités les uns envers les autres et envers notre planète.

À l’heure de la mésinformation galopante, du déni climatique et des attaques portées aux droits humains, nous avons besoin de systèmes éducatifs qui distinguent les faits des théories du complot, inculquent le respect de la science et célèbrent l’humanité dans toute sa diversité.

Pour faire de cet idéal une réalité, permettez-moi d’attirer votre attention sur cinq grandes questions.

Tout d’abord, nous devons protéger le droit à une éducation de qualité pour toutes et tous, en particulier les jeunes filles. Partout.

Les écoles doivent être ouvertes à tous les enfants, sans discrimination aucune.

Partout sur la planète, il nous faut rattraper les années d’apprentissage perdues à cause de la pandémie.

Préserver une éducation de qualité pour toutes et tous, cela veut dire remédier à la crise qui frappe l’apprentissage des savoirs fondamentaux, et cela tout au long de la vie.

Dans les endroits en proie à de graves difficultés, cela veut dire aussi privilégier l’éducation.

Je voudrais profiter de cette tribune pour lancer un appel aux autorités afghanes : levez immédiatement toutes les restrictions qui entravent l’accès des filles à l’enseignement secondaire.

L’éducation des filles est l’un des meilleurs moyens d’assurer la paix, la sécurité et le développement durable et ce, partout dans le monde.

En deuxième lieu, les enseignants sont la force vive des systèmes éducatifs.

Nous devons nous intéresser de nouveau à leurs rôles et à leurs compétences.

Aujourd’hui, les enseignants doivent être en classe des facilitateurs : ils doivent apprendre à apprendre et ne pas se contenter de transmettre des connaissances toutes faites.

Il nous faut remédier à la pénurie mondiale d’enseignants et chercher à améliorer leur niveau, en revalorisant le métier qu’ils exercent et garantissant de bonnes conditions de travail et puissent se former et se perfectionner tout au long de leur carrière et recevoir un salaire adéquat.  En troisième lieu, les écoles doivent être des espaces sûrs et propices à l’épanouissement, où la violence, la stigmatisation et le harcèlement scolaire n’ont pas leur place.

Les systèmes éducatifs doivent promouvoir la santé physique et mentale de tous les élèves, y compris leur santé sexuelle et reproductive.

La communauté internationale a un rôle crucial à jouer. Je demande aux partenaires de développement d’annuler les réductions d’aide et de consacrer au moins 15 % de l’aide publique au développement à l’éducation.

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qualtrics survey

14 charts this year that helped us better understand covid's impact on students teachers and schools.

The pandemic had to end sometime. Historians will ultimately place its climax at some point in 2022.

It was the year that Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s most prominent public health authority, declared that the country was “ out of the pandemic phase ,” as COVID case rates plummeted from their Omicron highs. By the fall, President Biden was  in somewhat controversial agreement  with that sentiment, noting that most people had laid down their masks and returned to something like normal.

And  while some uncertainty remains  around the possibility of winter surges in American schools, the most visible hallmarks of the COVID era have at last receded. The lurching progression from in-person to virtual classes is over, following an explosion of school exposures last winter. Mask mandates, social distancing, and endless disinfectant wipes are also predominantly a thing of the past, with virtually all children approved to receive vaccines. 

But in terms of the pandemic’s impact on education, it’s still only the end of the beginning. With each month, new findings emerge revealing more about what remote instruction did to learning and how families reacted. The potentially lifelong shadow the virus has cast over K-12 students — from how babies develop speech to what today’s adolescents will earn decades from now — is largely mysterious. 

Previous editions of this list have covered the wider world of education policy and research: issues like school financing, choice, accountability, and testing. This year, The 74 is focusing exclusively on the lessons of the COVID era — one that is now passing from the scene — and the questions that remain in its wake.

Here, laid out in charts, maps, and tables, are 14 discoveries that changed how we think about schools in 2022.

Continue reading at the74million.org.

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Coronavirus (COVID19) – impact on education: Deputy First Minister speech, 19 March 2020

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney MSP's speech on managing the impacts of coronavirus on Scottish education, given to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 19 March 2020.

Responding to the coronavirus pandemic is a matter of the greatest national importance, and the scale of the challenge in front of us is truly without precedent.

Every aspect of our national life has been affected by this crisis, and sustaining our education system has been at the forefront of my mind.

My priorities are to ensure the health and wellbeing of our children, young people and staff, and to maintain teaching and learning wherever this is possible, guided by the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and public health experts.

I would like to place on record my sincere appreciation for the extraordinary work that all of the teaching and non-teaching staff in our schools and Early Learning and Childcare settings have been doing to maintain educational continuity in these unprecedented days.

The approach of the Scottish Government to this crisis has been to deliver clear and open communications with members of the public. When circumstances change, we need to set out the basis of that change. And that is the point we reached yesterday in relation to our schools.

Firstly, scientific advice now highlights that closing schools will help to suppress the spread of Coronavirus. Secondly, as people follow the advice issued on Monday, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain education provision.

As a consequence of these two factors, the First Minister set out yesterday that schools and nursery closures for pupils are now inevitable.

I want to be clear at the outset that what we are advising is this: at the end of tomorrow, schools and nurseries should, ordinarily, close for children and young people. 

Teaching, learning and support will continue – albeit in different ways for different groups of children.

For the majority, this will be through distance learning and online learning, with different forms of on-going contact with teachers rather than in-school, face-to-face. Teachers and other staff who are well, will continue to be working. Senior phase pupils with coursework for national qualifications to complete will be informed by their schools how to complete this.

For vulnerable children and those who have parents or carers employed as key workers, Local Authorities are developing approaches to support them at this time.

My statement today will provide more detail about what these mean in practice, and how our teaching and education workforce can re-focus their work to support pupils in a range of different ways in the weeks and months ahead.

We want our local authorities to be able to exercise the necessary flexibility in the use of school buildings and other settings, to enable the education workforce to operate in new and different ways to support learners.  There are three ways in which this should be the case and we have discussed and agreed this approach with local government:

Firstly, we need to continue to support vulnerable children : we will not cut adrift vulnerable young people, who often rely on school life for hot meals or for a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.

Secondly, we want to deliver as much educational continuity as possible : we want local authorities and teachers to do all they can to ensure educational continuity for our children and young people, with a particular focus on S4-S6 pupils who need to complete coursework for national qualifications. Teachers can provide educational continuity for children in the broad general education in a variety of ways; for example through setting weekly learning tasks and emailing  these to families where possible, or using Glow and other online learning platforms. I am confident that the teaching profession will respond in a variety of imaginative, creative and simulating ways to support continuity in learning for pupils. 

And thirdly key workers : we are clear that we must support local authorities to put in place arrangements that ensure the children of key workers, who do not have another parent or carer at home who can look after them during the day,  have continuing access to all-age learning and childcare that allows their parents or carers to participate in the national response to Covid-19. For example, our doctors and nurses must continue to be available to support the fight against this virus.

I will go on to set out what this is likely to mean in practice, but I would like to be clear about one thing – this may mean that local authorities opt to keep some settings open with reduced staffing, but operating in a very different way; or they might create local hubs and use community facilities in different ways. It may also mean that they work with private and third sector providers of childcare, including childminders, to deliver childcare, to key workers. Indeed I would strongly encourage that they prioritise the use of these facilities to ensure continued support for that critical sector.

Amongst all of these models, we will balance the extent of physical provision in buildings with the risk of undermining the health interventions. In doing so, we will of course be led by the advice of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

Speaking specifically to parents and carers whose children do not fall into these categories, we know this is a difficult time,  and there will be support for you too.  We know that a lot of parents will be thinking about how they balance working from home with looking after children. You are not expected to be a teacher or to recreate the school day.  But we want you to feel supported to help your child, and your school will be giving you some resources and suggestions as your first port of call

I would also highlight the excellent advice already provided to children and young people by Young Scot. We will be working with a range of partners to find the best way to keep children and young people updated and supported with the latest information.

I will of course take questions at the end of my statement, but  I will make clear now now that we do not pretend to have all the answers at this stage.   

Support for Vulnerable children and young people

We are working with local authorities and partners to ensure that vulnerable children and young people can continue to benefit from the learning, care and support that schools and nurseries provide for them.  

Local authorities will need to take into account issues of child protection, welfare, poverty, children with complex additional support needs, and the need to provide access to food for young people who need it. I am not going to set a definitive definition of what a vulnerable child is; our schools and local authorities know our children and families well and are best placed to identify which children need care, protection and support the most during the period that lies ahead.

In planning to support young people, the needs of young people will be taken into account.  Those with complex additional support needs who are learning and living in residential special schools will continue to receive the care and support they require.  Plans will specifically take into account any long-term health conditions in order to protect the health and wellbeing of this group.  I know that local authorities are creatively considering different ways of supporting young people with different needs during this period, for example using outreach models and joining up available staff to provide care, support and continuity.  We have made great strides in recent years through increasing multi-agency working, and now is the time for professionals and services to work together in new, dynamic ways which meet local needs.

All Chief Social Work Officers have now been asked that special consideration is given to identifying and supporting vulnerable children at increased risk - for example, lone-parents who have become too unwell to look after their children.

We have already stated our commitment to work with local authorities to continue the provision of free school meals, which both reduce costs to families and ensures provision of healthy and nutritious food.  Multiple options are being planned for by local authorities, including the successful model already deployed in Shetland where direct payments and vouchers have been provided to families whose children are entitled to free school meals. Other local authorities are considering opening community campuses to provide meals or to enable young people or families to collect food.

A £350m package of support for our communities was announced yesterday, which includes establishing a £70m food fund to support households who may be worried about accessing food.  These additional funds will also support the continued provision of free school meals, ensuring continued support for families who need it, within their communities.

Elsewhere, we will relax the guidance on the use of Pupil Equity Funding to provide further flexibility for headteachers and local authorities to support our most vulnerable children and their needs during this time.  This flexibility will also apply to schools and local authorities in receipt of Challenge Authority and Schools’ Programme funding. 

I believe that this approach, together with our local authority children’s services and community partners, will enable the continuation of vital support for Scotland’s vulnerable children and young people.  

Educational continuity and exams

Presiding Officer, I now wish to turn to the 2020 exam diet.

In all of our history, Scotland has never cancelled the exams. Since 1888, they have been held every May or June without fail.

In the midst of two world wars, the exams went ahead.

It is a measure of the gravity of the challenge we now face, that I must today announce the exams will not go ahead this year.

I am aware of how significant a step this is.  Indeed, it is an unprecedented one in unprecedented times.  Scotland’s exam diet has never been cancelled before.  

Whilst the protection of life is our overriding priority here, we must do our upmost to ensure that the interests and life chances of our young people, due to sit exams from the end of April, are protected.  Their achievements must be rightly and fairly recognised. I want the 2020 cohort to hold their heads high and gain the qualifications and awards that they deserve, after many years of hard work.  I know they will be very worried by the situation they face and I want them to be assured we are doing all that we can to deliver the best outcome for them.

Scotland’s Chief Examining Officer has advised me that, with the support of the wider education system, a credible certification model can be put in place that can command confidence in the absence of the exam diet – to ensure that young people in our schools and colleges who, through no fault of their own, are unable to sit exams, are not in any way disadvantaged.

I anticipate that this model will use coursework, teacher assessments of estimated grades and prior attainment as the basis of certification.

In order for such an approach to be effective, the Scottish Qualifications Authority will require relevant units to be completed and coursework and teacher estimates of grades, to be submitted by the agreed deadlines, or indeed sooner where that is possible.  We are facing significant disruption at this time, but I appeal to our teachers and practitioners to do all they can - safely - to meet these deadlines and so allow qualifications to be awarded to their young people. So this ask is clear:  schools should submit course work and teacher estimates as soon as they can – and by the dates provided.  I should stress that these elements form part of the suite of materials provided to the SQA every year  when a full exam diet has been in operation.

In addition to the hard work and ongoing commitment of teachers, I also want to thank the Chief Examining Officer, Fiona Robertson, and all staff at the SQA for their significant efforts already and those which will be delivered in achieving this task.

I am aware of the scale of the task that they are facing, but I believe that this is in the best interests of our young people – they deserve to have their achievements recognised and to be able to make their next step in learning, life or work and we cannot achieve this without the vital contribution of the SQA

Key workers

The Scottish people are key to our efforts in tackling this virus.  Throughout the pandemic, we will need to ensure that key workers, for example NHS staff, have provisions in place that allow them to continue to play their vital role in the national response. The workforce of our health service, our care services and our emergency services have led the way in addressing this challenge, and enabling them to continue to work will help to save and protect lives across the country.

At a national level, we are viewing key workers as those who work in posts which ensure that essential services can be delivered, or those who cover tasks within the local community which support the vulnerable and aid community resilience.

To best serve local priorities, the exact definition of a key worker may vary across the diverse range of localities across Scotland.  Urban and rural communities will rely on different key people doing their jobs in order to keep them safe, healthy and with access to the food and medicines they need, for example. 

I am humbled by some of the early and highly creative thinking of our local authority partners.  It was encouraging to see that, in a response to their own circumstances, Shetland have been able to implement a “hub” arrangement to provide care and support for the children of key workers. Another authority plans to create a number of hubs to provide care, learning and a range of stimulating activities for children who may be vulnerable or those whose parents are key workers.

They are drawing together a range of staff – teachers, active schools coordinators, CLD staff and others to provide a high quality experience for the children who need us most during these unprecedented times.

We will now continue to work with local partners and colleagues across the rest of the UK on provision for key workers as the situation develops.

Early Learning and Childcare provision 

On early learning and childcare provision, as I stated in my opening remarks it is likely that we will see many local authority nurseries close, but we do not expect or want to see all nurseries close.  Our priorities are to ensure that key workers who need childcare can continue to access it and that we sustain private and third sector providers during this period of considerable uncertainty and challenge.

We are advising private and third sector childcare providers that they can remain open so long as they refocus their operating models to support solely the children of critical workers and those families most in need of support. 

Childcare providers can also make a huge contribution to enabling key workers to remain in work.  Local authorities are making plans for the provision of emergency childcare services to school aged children in their areas.  In developing these plans, I have asked authorities to make maximum use of local childcare providers in the private and third sectors so that they can keep their doors open.

Scottish Ministers are committed to supporting our private and third sector childcare providers to remain viable.  We are reviewing the package of general business support measures announced by the UK Government this week and working closely with our partners in the sector to identify what other support we can provide. 

As a first step, the First Minister guaranteed earlier today that Scottish Government will continue funding streams which allow contractual payments to private and third sector providers, including childminders, for statutory early learning and childcare hours to continue.  This is worth around £220 million to the sector in the year ahead. We are working closely with local authorities to ensure they can adopt this position and provide assurance to providers that funding will continue as we all work together to respond to the pandemic.     

The Care Inspectorate is also publishing new operational registration guidance for all services, including the daycare of children’s and childminding sector today, which will confirm a range of regulatory flexibilities to support the sector to function in these unprecedented times, while ensuring that the safety of children remains paramount. 

Our response to the Covid-19 pandemic will clearly have an impact on the delivery of our early learning and childcare expansion commitment from August.  We will provide a more detailed update to Parliament in due course.  The Scottish Budget delivered additional revenue funding of £201 million in 2020-21 to support local authorities in delivering the 1140 hours expansion.  I will confirm to local authorities today that they can deploy that funding as flexibly as they need to support families and childcare providers during this period. 

Further education/higher education

Finally, colleges and universities operate in different circumstances combining learning and research. We recognise that universities and colleges are introducing measures intended to minimise the potential disruption for students and staff and to ensure their wellbeing.

For students, many universities and colleges are withdrawing face-to-face teaching and are making arrangements where possible for online teaching. The handling of this transition on the ground – in extremely challenging circumstances - is obviously key to reduce stress on students and staff. We look to our colleges and universities to make appropriate decisions in relation to their operations, while prioritising the health of staff, students and the wider public. 

On student funding, the Student Awards Agency Scotland have robust business continuity measures in place to ensure their business services remain functioning. We will endeavour to continue to fund students on time. Given the nature of these unprecedented times we will keep students updated throughout.

We are working very closely with the Scottish Funding Council and institutions on business continuity actions that will support institutions, students and staff. The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science had further calls with college and university principals this week, and also with campus trade unions and NUS Scotland.

We will now continue our engagement with local authorities, and expect to work on further details into next week. We would like to see the re-focused provision for the three key groups of children and young that I have mentioned (those who are vulnerable, have parents/carers who are key workers, or who have course work to complete for qualifications) – in operation over the course of next week.

Most, if not  all, schools will have pupils from within these groups, and all headteachers and staff who are well will need to be a part of the offer. Strong partnership working and clear communication between local authorities and their communities about the arrangements being put in place will be vital in the days ahead.

I understand that people will naturally want clarity on how long this will last for and when the education system will return to full provision. The truth is that, at this stage, we cannot know. People should not assume schools and nurseries will reopen after Easter – as the First Minister said yesterday,  they may not be able to do so before the summer break. We will keep this under constant review. I am also aware that over holiday periods – such as Easter – many schools, local authorities and out of school care providers offer services for children and their families.  I would again encourage colleagues leading these services to see how they can continue for the three key groups that I have highlighted today – vulnerable children, children of key workers, and in the case of young people completing national qualifications.

Now will be a time where we must pull together, and harness the strength of our local communities and the various professional groups who support children and families across Scotland. Continuation of education, and continuation of the health and wellbeing for our children and young people should be at the centre of all that we do.

So, in summary, to the teachers or other education professionals listening to this,  I encourage you to channel your professional knowledge and skills in different ways over the weeks and months that lie ahead.  This may include teaching and learning in different ways, for example, through the use of technology.  It may be that your school will operate a skeleton staff to continue to support vulnerable children or children whose parents are key workers, or your local authority may offer these services through local ‘hubs’, examples of which I have sited today.  We need our teachers and our education workforce more than ever over the weeks and months ahead, and I am confident that they will rise to the challenge with determination, creativity and above all – with the interests of the children and young people who need them most – at heart. 

Following this statement I will set out the expectations that I have discussed during this statement in a letter to all local authority chief executives and directors of education and children’s services

I want to offer thanks again to the local authorities for the proactive efforts they have already made to take decisive action in the best interests of children and young people, teachers and staff. Those foundations will be invaluable as we strive to deliver the education our children need in the most difficult of times. 

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Pipeline Disruption: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Next Generation of Teachers

• Aubrey Scheopner Torres Saint Anselm College
• Lisa D'Souza Assumption University

This qualitative study aims to provide insight into why teacher candidates, interested in pursuing K-12 teaching, made the decision to leave their traditional teacher preparation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers utilized sociocultural theory as the framework to ground the research. The study finds the educational disruption caused by the pandemic added a layer of complexity to candidates’ experiences, including missed opportunities, limited clinical experience, and a general sense of uncertainty, which altered teacher candidates’ outlook on the teaching profession, impacted their education journeys, and ultimately shifted their immediate career trajectories. The results from this study indicate that clinical experiences are an important predictor of whether teacher candidates remain in their preparation programs. With this research study, we hope to support the development of a more robust teacher pipeline.

Author Biographies

Aubrey scheopner torres, saint anselm college.

Department of Education, Associate Professor

Lisa D'Souza, Assumption University

Department of Education, Professor

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education in England: How teacher educators moved practicum learning online. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 542-558. https://doi.org/10/1080/02619768.2020.1820480

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How to Cite

• Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Copyright (c) 2024 Aubrey Scheopner Torres, Lisa D'Souza

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .

Authors retain copyright without restrictions. Unless otherwise indicated, from 2021 all articles are published under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license. For more information visit  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Articles published prior to 2021 used a CC-BY-NC-SA license.

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Journal summary.

Current Issues in Education ( CIE; ISSN 1099-839X) is an open access, peer-reviewed academic education journal produced by doctoral students at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College of Arizona State University. The journal’s mission is to advance scholarly thought by publishing articles that promote dialogue, research, practice, and policy, and to advance a community of scholarship.

CIE publishes articles on a broad range of education topics that are timely and have relevance nationally and internationally. We seek innovative scholarship that tackles challenging issues facing education using various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. CIE welcomes original research, practitioner experience papers, and submissions in alternative formats.

Authors wishing to submit a manuscript for peer review must register for a journal account and should examine our author guidelines . As an open-access journal, authors maintain the copyright to their published work. 

To enhance diversity and inclusion in scholarly publication, and support a greater global exchange of knowledge, CIE does not charge any fee to authors at any stage of the publication process. 

Developed By

Research, interrupted: Addressing practical and methodological challenges under turbulent conditions

• Megan Kuhfeld NWEA
• Lou Mariano RAND Corporation

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous upheaval in schooling. In addition to devasting effects on students, these disruptions had consequences for researchers conducting studies on education programs and policies. Given the likelihood of future large-scale disruptions, it is important for researchers to plan resilient studies and think critically about adaptations when such turbulence arises. In this article, we utilize qualitative analysis of interviews with research study leaders to illuminate practical and methodological challenges, as well as promising practices that arose during the pandemic period. We find that researchers made pivots to address practical challenges and protect the feasibility of their studies. We also find that researchers took precautions, where possible, to understand and bolster internal validity. However, these pivots frequently surfaced additional threats to construct and external validity. We conclude with recommendations for future studies conducted in times of prolonged unplanned school closures or other large-scale disruptions.

Author Biographies

Susan bush-mecenas, rand corporation.

Susan Bush-Mecenas is the policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research examines the implementation of PreK–12 education policies and practices, with attention to the interaction of school systems, their organizational and institutional context, and educators and school leaders as agents of change.

Jonathan Schweig, RAND Corporation

Jonathan D. Schweig is a senior social scientist at RAND. His research focuses on the measurement of teaching, and how safe and supportive learning environments can nurture positive adolescent development.

Megan Kuhfeld, NWEA

Megan Kuhfeld is the Director of Growth Modeling and Analytics at NWEA, a division of HMH. Her research seeks to understand students’ academic and  social-emotional learning trajectories and the school and neighborhood influences that promote optimal growth

Lou Mariano, RAND Corporation

Louis T. Mariano is a senior statistician at RAND. His research focuses on evaluation of the efficacy of education policy programs and reforms.

Melissa Diliberti, RAND Corporation

Melissa Diliberti is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research uses nationally representative surveys of educators to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the U.S. education system.

How to Cite

• Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Copyright (c) 2024 Susan Bush-Mecenas, Jonathan Schweig, Megan Kuhfeld, Lou Mariano, Melissa Diliberti

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .

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• Susan Bush-Mecenas, David Montes de Oca, Julie Marsh, Heather Hough, “Seeing the whole elephant”: Changing mindsets and empowering stakeholders to meaningfully manage accountability and improvement , Education Policy Analysis Archives: Vol. 26 (2018)

Education Policy Analysis Archives/Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas/Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas (EPAA/AAPE;  ISSN 1068-2341 ) is a peer-reviewed, open-access, international, multilingual, and multidisciplinary journal designed for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and development analysts concerned with education policies.

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COVID-19 pandemic drives increase in children's speech delays

If you're a parent, you know the excitement of waiting for your child's first words, typically somewhere between 12 and 18 months. But since the pandemic, some children have been taking longer to start talking and that's leading to a spike in requests for evaluations by speech pathologists.

It's a trend reporter Lindsey Banks wrote about for the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter , and she joins us now to talk more about it.

Marshall Terry: So, Lindsey, what did Charlotte's speech pathologists tell you they're seeing? And how much longer is it taking for some toddlers to speak their first words?

Lindsey Banks: So, since the pandemic, speech pathologists across the country have been reporting a higher percentage of children who need therapy, which they test by a speech evaluation. So they've seen an increase in children who are basically failing their speech evaluations. By failing, I mean they aren't talking and forming words at their age level.

So I spoke with the executive director of the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center , which is a nonprofit practice in Charlotte that serves Union and Mecklenburg Counties. Her name is Shannon Tucker, and she told me that in 2019, which is pre-pandemic, they screened 2,200 children and saw an average 20% failure rate, which again is referring to those children who aren't speaking at their age level.  

And then in 2022, coming out of the pandemic, they screened around the same number of children and they saw a 50% failure rate. They saw a 65-70% failure rate in those higher poverty areas of Charlotte and Union County.

And then regarding your second question about how much longer it's taking toddlers to speak their first words, it obviously depends on the child. But I spoke with a Charlotte mother who had her son right before the pandemic. He was around five weeks old when the whole world essentially shut down and around nine months (old) when he should have at least been, you know, baby babbling and trying to form words. Her son wasn't making any sounds, and then when he reached 20 months that was still the case — he wasn't talking. They took him in to be screened and they got him into speech therapy.

Terry: So what's leading to this increase in speech delays?

Banks: So stimulation, I learned, outside of the home is so important to children's speech development, and the pandemic shut down everything. So that meant no story time at the library, no play dates, no playing with other children on playgrounds and no trips to the grocery store even. And because these children were staying at home, their only social interactions were with their parents. Maybe their grandparents, maybe a babysitter, but basically adults that knew the child and knew the child's nonverbal cues — the adults were able to anticipate the child's needs before they were able to ask. So for some children, they just essentially were like, ‘Why learn how to speak when, you know, I don't need to. Whenever I need something, it's given to me before I even know I need it myself.’

Terry: Now, not being around other children and adults, as you mentioned is one aspect of this. But what about the wearing of masks, and not being able to see people talk? Did that have an effect?

Banks: Yes, and that's a great question. Another thing that I learned is that lip-reading and watching mouth movement is also an important factor in a child's speech development. And lip-reading usually begins around eight months of age. So they start looking at mouth movements and mimic when they're trying to form words. And so the limited times that young children were leaving the home, you know, during the pandemic, maybe to go to the doctor — or once quarantine restrictions were lifted and parents started to venture out more with their children — they were hearing people talk to them, but they weren't able to see their mouths because they were covered by a mask.

But for (children in) speech therapy, the mother that I spoke to, she told me that her child's therapist during the pandemic wore a clear mask during their in-person session so that (the child) could see her mouth movements. They also offered Zoom therapy sessions as well, which obviously means they didn't have to wear masks. So they were able to see the mouth movement. But if your child had not been evaluated and, you know, they weren't in speech therapy, then any interaction they had outside of the home with adults or other children was behind a mask.

Terry: You report the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recently sent out a survey to speech pathologists around the country. What did it find?

Banks: They sent out that survey earlier this year. And of the 858 language pathologists that responded, 80% said they believe the pandemic affected the referrals and requests for evaluation of young children. 69% said they were getting more referrals and requests for evaluation of young children than they did before the pandemic began. And then 64% say the main cause for the increase in evaluations after the pandemic is limited opportunities for social interaction or to play with peers, which we talked about earlier.

Terry: So what does all this mean in the long run for children? Are they likely to catch up and even out?

Banks: So Shannon Tucker, the executive director of Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, she's also a speech pathologist. She told me that language development of children is highly predictive of third-grade reading levels — and even high school graduation — which is why it's so important to have your child evaluated if they are not communicating at the level that they should be. Like with most things, the earlier you diagnose the problem, the easier it is to fix.

Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center has not seen numbers of children being evaluated and failing return to pre-pandemic numbers yet — but they expect it will. Day cares are open, story time with kids, and music classes are, you know, up and running again. And masks aren't really required anymore.

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• COVID-19 and your mental health

Worries and anxiety about COVID-19 can be overwhelming. Learn ways to cope as COVID-19 spreads.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, life for many people changed very quickly. Worry and concern were natural partners of all that change — getting used to new routines, loneliness and financial pressure, among other issues. Information overload, rumor and misinformation didn't help.

Worldwide surveys done in 2020 and 2021 found higher than typical levels of stress, insomnia, anxiety and depression. By 2022, levels had lowered but were still higher than before 2020.

Though feelings of distress about COVID-19 may come and go, they are still an issue for many people. You aren't alone if you feel distress due to COVID-19. And you're not alone if you've coped with the stress in less than healthy ways, such as substance use.

But healthier self-care choices can help you cope with COVID-19 or any other challenge you may face.

And knowing when to get help can be the most essential self-care action of all.

Recognize what's typical and what's not

Stress and worry are common during a crisis. But something like the COVID-19 pandemic can push people beyond their ability to cope.

In surveys, the most common symptoms reported were trouble sleeping and feeling anxiety or nervous. The number of people noting those symptoms went up and down in surveys given over time. Depression and loneliness were less common than nervousness or sleep problems, but more consistent across surveys given over time. Among adults, use of drugs, alcohol and other intoxicating substances has increased over time as well.

The first step is to notice how often you feel helpless, sad, angry, irritable, hopeless, anxious or afraid. Some people may feel numb.

Keep track of how often you have trouble focusing on daily tasks or doing routine chores. Are there things that you used to enjoy doing that you stopped doing because of how you feel? Note any big changes in appetite, any substance use, body aches and pains, and problems with sleep.

These feelings may come and go over time. But if these feelings don't go away or make it hard to do your daily tasks, it's time to ask for help.

Get help when you need it

If you're feeling suicidal or thinking of hurting yourself, seek help.

• Contact your healthcare professional or a mental health professional.
• Contact a suicide hotline. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline , available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or use the Lifeline Chat . Services are free and confidential.

If you are worried about yourself or someone else, contact your healthcare professional or mental health professional. Some may be able to see you in person or talk over the phone or online.

You also can reach out to a friend or loved one. Someone in your faith community also could help.

And you may be able to get counseling or a mental health appointment through an employer's employee assistance program.

Another option is information and treatment options from groups such as:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Self-care tips

Some people may use unhealthy ways to cope with anxiety around COVID-19. These unhealthy choices may include things such as misuse of medicines or legal drugs and use of illegal drugs. Unhealthy coping choices also can be things such as sleeping too much or too little, or overeating. It also can include avoiding other people and focusing on only one soothing thing, such as work, television or gaming.

Unhealthy coping methods can worsen mental and physical health. And that is particularly true if you're trying to manage or recover from COVID-19.

Self-care actions can help you restore a healthy balance in your life. They can lessen everyday stress or significant anxiety linked to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-care actions give your body and mind a chance to heal from the problems long-term stress can cause.

Take care of your body

Healthy self-care tips start with the basics. Give your body what it needs and avoid what it doesn't need. Some tips are:

• Get the right amount of sleep for you. A regular sleep schedule, when you go to bed and get up at similar times each day, can help avoid sleep problems.
• Move your body. Regular physical activity and exercise can help reduce anxiety and improve mood. Any activity you can do regularly is a good choice. That may be a scheduled workout, a walk or even dancing to your favorite music.
• Choose healthy food and drinks. Foods that are high in nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals are healthy choices. Avoid food or drink with added sugar, fat or salt.
• Avoid tobacco, alcohol and drugs. If you smoke tobacco or if you vape, you're already at higher risk of lung disease. Because COVID-19 affects the lungs, your risk increases even more. Using alcohol to manage how you feel can make matters worse and reduce your coping skills. Avoid taking illegal drugs or misusing prescriptions to manage your feelings.

Take care of your mind

Healthy coping actions for your brain start with deciding how much news and social media is right for you. Staying informed, especially during a pandemic, helps you make the best choices but do it carefully.

Set aside a specific amount of time to find information in the news or on social media, stay limited to that time, and choose reliable sources. For example, give yourself up to 20 or 30 minutes a day of news and social media. That amount keeps people informed but not overwhelmed.

For COVID-19, consider reliable health sources. Examples are the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Other healthy self-care tips are:

• Relax and recharge. Many people benefit from relaxation exercises such as mindfulness, deep breathing, meditation and yoga. Find an activity that helps you relax and try to do it every day at least for a short time. Fitting time in for hobbies or activities you enjoy can help manage feelings of stress too.
• Stick to your health routine. If you see a healthcare professional for mental health services, keep up with your appointments. And stay up to date with all your wellness tests and screenings.
• Stay in touch and connect with others. Family, friends and your community are part of a healthy mental outlook. Together, you form a healthy support network for concerns or challenges. Social interactions, over time, are linked to a healthier and longer life.

Avoid stigma and discrimination

Stigma can make people feel isolated and even abandoned. They may feel sad, hurt and angry when people in their community avoid them for fear of getting COVID-19. People who have experienced stigma related to COVID-19 include people of Asian descent, health care workers and people with COVID-19.

Treating people differently because of their medical condition, called medical discrimination, isn't new to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stigma has long been a problem for people with various conditions such as Hansen's disease (leprosy), HIV, diabetes and many mental illnesses.

People who experience stigma may be left out or shunned, treated differently, or denied job and school options. They also may be targets of verbal, emotional and physical abuse.

Communication can help end stigma or discrimination. You can address stigma when you:

• Get to know people as more than just an illness. Using respectful language can go a long way toward making people comfortable talking about a health issue.
• Get the facts about COVID-19 or other medical issues from reputable sources such as the CDC and WHO.
• Speak up if you hear or see myths about an illness or people with an illness.

COVID-19 and health

The virus that causes COVID-19 is still a concern for many people. By recognizing when to get help and taking time for your health, life challenges such as COVID-19 can be managed.

• Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. National Institutes of Health. https://covid19.nih.gov/covid-19-topics/mental-health. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• Mental Health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic's impact: Scientific brief, 2 March 2022. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Sci_Brief-Mental_health-2022.1. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/02/mental-health-and-the-pandemic-what-u-s-surveys-have-found/. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• Taking care of your emotional health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/selfcare.asp. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• #HealthyAtHome—Mental health. World Health Organization. www.who.int/campaigns/connecting-the-world-to-combat-coronavirus/healthyathome/healthyathome---mental-health. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• Coping with stress. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/cope-with-stress/. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• Manage stress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/topics/health-conditions/heart-health/manage-stress. Accessed March 20, 2020.
• COVID-19 and substance abuse. National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/covid-19-substance-use#health-outcomes. Accessed March 12, 2024.
• COVID-19 resource and information guide. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/NAMI-HelpLine/COVID-19-Information-and-Resources/COVID-19-Resource-and-Information-Guide. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Negative coping and PTSD. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/gethelp/negative_coping.asp. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Health effects of cigarette smoking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm#respiratory. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• People with certain medical conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Your healthiest self: Emotional wellness toolkit. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/health-information/emotional-wellness-toolkit. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• World leprosy day: Bust the myths, learn the facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/world-leprosy-day/. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• HIV stigma and discrimination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/hiv-stigma/. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Diabetes stigma: Learn about it, recognize it, reduce it. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes_stigma.html. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Phelan SM, et al. Patient and health care professional perspectives on stigma in integrated behavioral health: Barriers and recommendations. Annals of Family Medicine. 2023; doi:10.1370/afm.2924.
• Stigma reduction. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/od2a/case-studies/stigma-reduction.html. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Nyblade L, et al. Stigma in health facilities: Why it matters and how we can change it. BMC Medicine. 2019; doi:10.1186/s12916-019-1256-2.
• Combating bias and stigma related to COVID-19. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19-bias. Accessed March 15, 2024.
• Yashadhana A, et al. Pandemic-related racial discrimination and its health impact among non-Indigenous racially minoritized peoples in high-income contexts: A systematic review. Health Promotion International. 2021; doi:10.1093/heapro/daab144.
• Sawchuk CN (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. March 25, 2024.

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Related information

• Mental health: What's normal, what's not - Related information Mental health: What's normal, what's not
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Plan, Prepare & Make the Best Career Choices

2 Minute Speech on Covid-19 (CoronaVirus) for Students

The year, 2019, saw the discovery of a previously unknown coronavirus illness, Covid-19 . The Coronavirus has affected the way we go about our everyday lives. This pandemic has devastated millions of people, either unwell or passed away due to the sickness. The most common symptoms of this viral illness include a high temperature, a cough, bone pain, and difficulties with the respiratory system. In addition to these symptoms, patients infected with the coronavirus may also feel weariness, a sore throat, muscular discomfort, and a loss of taste or smell.

10 Lines Speech on Covid-19 for Students

The Coronavirus is a member of a family of viruses that may infect their hosts exceptionally quickly.

Humans created the Coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China, where it first appeared.

The first confirmed case of the Coronavirus was found in India in January in the year 2020.

Protecting ourselves against the coronavirus is essential by covering our mouths and noses when we cough or sneeze to prevent the infection from spreading.

We must constantly wash our hands with antibacterial soap and face masks to protect ourselves.

To ensure our safety, the government has ordered the whole nation's closure to halt the virus's spread.

The Coronavirus forced all our classes to be taken online, as schools and institutions were shut down.

Due to the coronavirus, everyone was instructed to stay indoors throughout the lockdown.

During this period, I spent a lot of time playing games with family members.

Even though the cases of COVID-19 are a lot less now, we should still take precautions.

Short 2-Minute Speech on Covid 19 for Students

The coronavirus, also known as Covid - 19 , causes a severe illness. Those who are exposed to it become sick in their lungs. A brand-new virus is having a devastating effect throughout the globe. It's being passed from person to person via social interaction.

The first instance of Covid - 19 was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China . The World Health Organization proclaimed the covid - 19 pandemic in March 2020. It has now reached every country in the globe. Droplets produced by an infected person's cough or sneeze might infect those nearby.

The severity of Covid-19 symptoms varies widely. Symptoms aren't always present. The typical symptoms are high temperatures, a dry cough, and difficulty breathing. Covid - 19 individuals also exhibit other symptoms such as weakness, a sore throat, muscular soreness, and a diminished sense of smell and taste.

Vaccination has been produced by many countries but the effectiveness of them is different for every individual. The only treatment then is to avoid contracting in the first place. We can accomplish that by following these protocols—

Put on a mask to hide your face. Use soap and hand sanitiser often to keep germs at bay.

Keep a distance of 5 to 6 feet at all times.

Never put your fingers in your mouth or nose.

Long 2-Minute Speech on Covid 19 for Students

As students, it's important for us to understand the gravity of the situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has on our communities and the world at large. In this speech, I will discuss the real-world examples of the effects of the pandemic and its impact on various aspects of our lives.

Impact on Economy | The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy. We have seen how businesses have been forced to close their doors, leading to widespread job loss and economic hardship. Many individuals and families have been struggling to make ends meet, and this has led to a rise in poverty and inequality.

Impact on Healthcare Systems | The pandemic has also put a strain on healthcare systems around the world. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients, and healthcare workers have been stretched to their limits. This has highlighted the importance of investing in healthcare systems and ensuring that they are prepared for future crises.

Impact on Education | The pandemic has also affected the education system, with schools and universities being closed around the world. This has led to a shift towards online learning and the use of technology to continue education remotely. However, it has also highlighted the digital divide, with many students from low-income backgrounds facing difficulties in accessing online learning.

Impact on Mental Health | The pandemic has not only affected our physical health but also our mental health. We have seen how the isolation and uncertainty caused by the pandemic have led to an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression. It's important that we take care of our mental health and support each other during this difficult time.

Real-life Story of a Student

John is a high school student who was determined to succeed despite the struggles brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

John's school closed down in the early days of the pandemic, and he quickly found himself struggling to adjust to online learning. Without the structure and support of in-person classes, John found it difficult to stay focused and motivated. He also faced challenges at home, as his parents were both essential workers and were often not available to help him with his schoolwork.

Despite these struggles, John refused to let the pandemic defeat him. He made a schedule for himself, to stay on top of his assignments and set goals for himself. He also reached out to his teachers for additional support, and they were more than happy to help.

John also found ways to stay connected with his classmates and friends, even though they were physically apart. They formed a study group and would meet regularly over Zoom to discuss their assignments and provide each other with support.

Thanks to his hard work and determination, John was able to maintain good grades and even improved in some subjects. He graduated high school on time, and was even accepted into his first-choice college.

John's story is a testament to the resilience and determination of students everywhere. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, he was able to succeed and achieve his goals. He shows us that with hard work, determination, and support, we can overcome even the toughest of obstacles.

Explore Career Options (By Industry)

• Construction
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Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

Ethical Hacker

A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

Finance Executive

Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

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Effects of remote learning during COVID-19 lockdown on children’s learning abilities and school performance: A systematic review

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This systematic review describes the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on children’s learning and school performance. A systematic search was conducted using three databases. A total of 1787 articles were found, and 24 articles were included. Overall, academic performance was negatively affected by COVID-19 lockdowns, with lower scores in standardized tests in the main domains compared to previous years. Academic, motivational, and socio-emotional factors contributed to lower performance. Educators, parents, and students reported disorganization, increased academic demands, and motivational and behavioral changes. Teachers and policymakers should consider these results in developing future education strategies.

1. Introduction

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had severe global impacts, from the deaths of millions of people to worldwide economic crises. The spread of this unprecedented disease has forced communities into social isolation, changing the ways we relate and socialize with others. Since March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, the world has increasingly transitioned toward remote communication, placing a virtual interface between human interactions ( Cucinotta and Vanelli, 2020 ). Children have been profoundly affected by this sudden lifestyle change. With the closure of schools and colleges, learning and education have increasingly become screen-dependent, impacting children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development ( Alban Conto et al., 2021 , Haleemunnissa et al., 2021 ).

Although remote learning benefits disease control, it has augmented socioeconomic inequalities regarding access to technological resources ( Hossain, 2021 ). During the pandemic, low-income families tended to have less access to reliable internet and devices compared with high-income families in the same city ( Francis and Weller, 2022 ). Consequently, children from less privileged households spent fewer hours learning and were more likely to drop out of school ( The Lancet, 2021 , Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ). Indeed, UNICEF reports that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education in Ghana were marked by a lack of access to essential tools and learning materials (such as computers and textbooks) and inadequate conditions for effective learning (overcrowded households, poor or no access to electricity, and improper space for learning). These circumstances were more common in children living in rural and remote areas. Children with disabilities and physical or learning impairments were also affected ( Karpati et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, a lack of high-quality education impacts individuals’ health and income, as well as professional opportunities in the future, because of the bidirectional links between health and education ( The Lancet, 2021 ).

Moreover, several adverse effects of remote learning on children’s mental health have been identified, mostly related to the excessive use of electronic devices and lack of in-person contact with school classmates and teachers. These reported effects include disturbed sleep patterns, attention deficits, frustration, stress, depression, and boredom ( Xie et al., 2020 ). However, positive effects of distance learning have also been reported, such as improved competitive and motor skills ( Sundus, 2017 ). Therefore, the overall impact of school closures and remote learning remains controversial.

Remote learning has also negatively affected children’s cognitive and academic performance throughout all age groups ( Colvin et al., 2022 ). Standardized assessments during and after obligatory confinement have revealed students’ difficulties meeting grade expectations, particularly in schools with less in-person class time ( Colvin et al., 2022 ). Specific academic difficulties have been reported in mathematics, language, and reading skills. More than 1.5 million students from across the United States exhibited worse performance in mathematics and reading scores compared with the previous academic year ( Colvin et al., 2022 ).

As the death rate from COVID-19 slows, people have gradually returned to in-person businesses, and schools have begun to reopen. Current evidence still needs to be more consistent regarding the effect of remote learning on academic performance. Although remote tools may facilitate access to education and allow the development of additional learning skills, the consequences of screen-dependent learning during confinement are likely to affect children in the post-COVID-19 era, and the long-term impact remains to be seen. Therefore, the current systematic review sought to describe the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on children’s learning abilities and school performance.

2. Materials and methods

A systematic literature search was conducted on September 24, 2021, and February 3, 2023, to identify experimental, observational, or analytical studies. The search was performed in three online databases. The following terms were used in a search of PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/advanced/): (((((((((virtual) OR (virtually)) AND (learning)) AND (learning disorders)) AND (distance learning[MeSH Terms])) OR (distance education[MeSH Terms])) AND (pandemic[MeSH Terms])) OR (confinement)) AND (School children) AND (COVID-19)). For searching the Scopus database (https://www.scopus.com), we used the following terms: ALL ( virtual OR virtually AND learning AND learning AND disorders AND (“distance” AND “learning”) AND (“distance” AND “education”) AND (pandemic OR confinement) AND (“school” AND “children”) AND covid-19) AND (LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “MEDI”) OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “PSYC”) OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “HEAL”) OR LIMIT-TO (SUBJAREA, “NEUR”)). Finally, for searching the Science Direct database (https://www.sciencedirect.com/search), we used the following terms: ((((((((virtual) AND (learning)) AND (learning disorders)) AND (distance learning[MeSH Terms])) OR (distance education[MeSH Terms])) AND (pandemic[MeSH Terms])) OR (confinement)) AND (school children) AND COVID-19. The ID 290696 was generated in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.

We found 1787 articles, removed duplicates, and filtered the remaining articles by title and abstract following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines ( Fig. 1 ). Articles were excluded if they: (I) assessed the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on physical education, metabolic diseases, or visual impairment; (II) focused on paternal stress or adult academic performance; (III) focused on mental health or lifestyle implications caused by confinement without analyzing the association with learning abilities; (IV) were book chapters or narrative reviews; or (V) were published in languages other than Spanish, English, and French. Consequently, we selected 24 articles. All included articles were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs checklist to guarantee quality (https://jbi.global/critical-appraisal-tools). Finally, we extracted the following information: title, year of publication, authors, digital object identifier number, objectives, period of the study, period of confinement in the country of the study, evaluated learning area, population and sample, tests implemented for learning assessment, and overall results. In addition, a final question was answered for each study: “Did learning improve, stay the same, or worsen after lockdown?” All investigators participated in the data collection process and the preparation for data presentation and synthesis.

Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses flow diagram.

Articles included in the review were grouped based on the primary domain of children’s learning performance examined during COVID-19 lockdowns. First, children’s academic performance was clustered in mathematics, reading, language, and biology. Second, we grouped articles that examined emotional and behavioral impacts on academic performance, and those that focused on children’s, parents’, and teachers’ recollections regarding perceptions of learning ( Table 1 ). Twelve studies were conducted in Europe ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 , Chambonnière et al., 2021 , Engzell et al., 2020 , Giménez-Dasí et al., 2020 , Haelermans et al., 2022 , Korzycka et al., 2021 , Maldonado and Witte, 2021 , Rose et al., 2021 , Scarpellini et al., 2021 , Spitzer and Musslick, 2021 , Tomasik et al., 2021 , Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ), followed by four in Asia ( Cui et al., 2021 , Sakarneh, 2021 , Zhang et al., 2020 , Zhao et al., 2020 ), seven in North America ( Domingue et al., 2022 , Gaudreau et al., 2020 , Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 , Maulucci and Guffey, 2020 , Relyea et al., 2023 ), and one in South America ( González et al., 2022 ) ( Supplementary table ). Regarding evaluation methods, fifteen papers used standardized tests or formative assessment, eight studies used online questionnaires or surveys, and one study used an evaluation scale. Overall, we found that worsening learning outcomes were reported in 16 studies, whereas four studies reported improvements in children’s performance in mathematics, biology, and cognitive abilities, using adaptable teaching strategies for online classes. Finally, four studies reported stable learning performance. Further discussion of each study and the results is presented below.

Articles examining the impact of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Discussion

4.1. effects of covid-19 lockdowns on children’s mathematics performance.

Six of the 24 studies evaluated differences in mathematical performance before and after lockdowns ( Cui et al., 2021 , Engzell et al., 2020 , Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 , Rose et al., 2021 , Tomasik et al., 2021 ). Of these, only one study reported improved children’s academic outcomes, comparing the relative error and absolute error rates in mathematical problem sets in 2500 German students from grades 4–10 before and during school closures ( Spitzer and Musslick, 2021 ). The results revealed a positive effect of remote learning during COVID-19 lockdowns compared with the results from the previous year, particularly in students with previous lower academic achievement ( Spitzer and Musslick, 2021 ).

The other studies that evaluated students using standardized math tests in American, Swiss, Dutch, Flemish, and British schools reported mainly lower primary school scores during and after lockdowns ( Engzell et al., 2020 , Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 , Maldonado and Witte, 2021 , Rose et al., 2021 , Tomasik et al., 2021 ). Differences in school performance varied among primary and secondary Swiss students, with the former being the most affected group ( Tomasik et al., 2021 ). Overall academic achievement was reduced in both groups, whereas only primary school students exhibited delayed learning with a distance learning system ( Tomasik et al., 2021 ). The authors proposed that cognitive, motivational, and socio-emotional effects were contributing factors ( Spitzer and Musslick, 2021 ). These findings align with projections of slower academic development after school closures in the United States ( Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 ). A Policy Analysis for California Education report found that by the time students completed interim winter assessments in the 2020–21 school year, they had experienced a learning lag of approximately 2.6 months in English language arts (ELA) and 2.5 months in math ( Pier et al., 2021 ). Moreover, economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students of color experienced a more significant learning lag than students not in these groups ( Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Pier et al., 2021 ).

4.2. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Children’s reading performance

Several studies in the United States, Netherlands, and England evaluated the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on reading abilities in children ( Domingue et al., 2022 , Engzell et al., 2020 , Gaudreau et al., 2020 , Goldhaber et al., 2022 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 , Rose et al., 2021 , Tambyraja et al., 2021 ). Engzell et al. analyzed performance in reading and comprehension of factual and literary subjects among 350,000 primary school students in national exams before and after an 8-week lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Engzell et al., 2020 ). The results revealed a post-pandemic decrease in reading performance of more than 3 % compared with pre-pandemic test results ( Engzell et al., 2020 ). Similar unfavorable results were reported by Rose et al.’s study in England during the spring and summer of 2020 ( Rose et al., 2021 ), which followed 6000 pupils for two years and evaluated learning performance using National Foundation for Educational Research standardized tests. The results revealed significantly lower reading performance in 2020 compared with a 2017 sample, with 5.2 % of students scoring two marks fewer. Moreover, reading assessments revealed a 7-month progress delay in 2020, compared with a 2019 sample ( Rose et al., 2021 ).

In the United States, Kuhfeld et al. proposed several projections regarding the impact of COVID-19 on learning patterns in 5 million students ( Kuhfeld et al., 2020 ). Data were extracted from Measures of Academic Progress Growth assessments in the previous two years. The authors made various predictions regarding best-case scenarios through to worst-case scenarios. Projections in a partial absenteeism scenario were predicted to result in 63–68 % of the expected annual learning gains in reading, whereas full absenteeism was predicted to result in less than 30 % of learning gains in reading. In addition, variability between students’ reading performance was estimated to be 1.2 times the standard deviation normally expected ( Kuhfeld et al., 2022 ).

Several studies reported that students’ socioeconomic status was a determinant factor for negative impacts on reading performance caused by COVID-19 lockdowns ( Domingue et al., 2022 , Engzell et al., 2020 , Kuhfeld et al., 2020 , Rose et al., 2021 , Tambyraja et al., 2021 ). In the United States, studies reported that students who attended high socioeconomic-status schools achieved better academic performance and had a more robust growth level than those who attended low socioeconomic-status schools or had reduced-price lunches ( Domingue et al., 2022 ). In the Netherlands, the decrease in reading learning performance was reported to be 60 % greater in children from disadvantaged homes ( Engzell et al., 2020 , Haelermans et al., 2022 ). Moreover, in England, Rose et al. reported that the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students was 8.28 standardized points in the test, corresponding to an 8-month learning gap between the two groups ( Rose et al., 2021 ).

However, Gaudreau et al. proposed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s remote vocabulary learning, and comprehension could be supported with virtual strategies designed to contribute to the educational progress of young students ( Gaudreau et al., 2020 ). The researchers evaluated reading comprehension and vocabulary learning in 58 4-year-old children under three different storytelling format conditions: live, video chat, and prerecorded storytelling. The results revealed that reading in all three formats positively stimulated verbal learning compared with children not exposed to reading, with more significant responses reported in the live and video chat conditions ( Gaudreau et al., 2020 ).

In addition, absenteeism significantly impacts students’ reading performance, indicating greater variability between children’s academic skills ( Kuhfeld et al., 2020 ). Some reading strategies used in remote learning environments may be beneficial for reading and could be implemented by teachers ( Gaudreau et al., 2020 ). Furthermore, social, and economic inequalities may contribute to gaps in reading performance between students that could last for years, requiring substantial mitigation efforts from schools and governments.

We found only a few studies conducted in other countries. Angrist et al. estimated learning losses in terms of oral reading fluency in sub-Saharan Africa from half a year to over one year in the short term, which can accumulate over time, and children might be unable to catch up. Their estimates suggest that short-term learning deficits for a child in grade 3 could accumulate to the equivalent of 2.8 years of lost learning by grade 10 ( Angrist et al., 2021 ).

4.3. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Children’s language performance

School closures caused by COVID-19 lockdowns have been reported to affect language learning negatively. Three of the 17 included studies reported reduced performance in language standardized tests compared with previous test results ( Engzell et al., 2020 , Maldonado and Witte, 2021 , Tomasik et al., 2021 ). Maldonado et al. evaluated mathematical and language scores in a Flemish school and reported lower Dutch and French learning results than in mathematics ( Maldonado and Witte, 2021 ). The authors proposed that the lack of Dutch speaking at home contributed to lower language performance. However, this difference was not found by Engzell et al., who evaluated reading, spelling, and mathematics scores in a Dutch school and reported lower scores in all three subjects than the previous year ( Engzell et al., 2020 , Maldonado and Witte, 2021 ). Children who relied on speech and language therapy faced a more significant challenge after school closures. The lack of access to in-person therapy and the shift to newly established teletherapy modalities contributed to therapy dropout and were likely to have decreased academic achievement in this population ( Tambyraja et al., 2021 ).

4.4. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Children’s biology performance

Biology and science performance was also assessed during COVID-19 lockdowns, and different virtual strategies have been proposed by researchers ( Maulucci and Guffey, 2020 ). Maulucci et al. examined the effects of Bybee’s 5E virtual academic model in biology lessons among 71 high school students. Bybee’s 5E model was integrated into a remote biology school curriculum, following two standard courses: The Alabama Course of Study and the Next Generation Science Standards. The authors examined responses to two biology pretest questions to assess misconceptions and evaluate students’ progress. The course involved several engaging, exploring, explaining, extending, and evaluating virtual activities. Analysis of the course dynamics revealed that students who attended live lessons benefited from discussion and feedback opportunities. This finding indicates that increasing live lessons and real-time participation may increase engagement, using tools like Nearpod, Zoom, and bio-interactive platforms. Overall, the results suggest that teachers’ and students’ technology skills must be developed quickly to enable new virtual strategies that guarantee the best learning environments for students ( Maulucci and Guffey, 2020 ).

4.5. Children’s, parents, and teachers’ perceptions of learning during COVID-19

Multiple investigators have studied the perceptions of students, parents, and teachers regarding the changes in education caused by COVID-19 ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 , Cui et al., 2021 , Korzycka et al., 2021 , Sakarneh, 2021 , Scarpellini et al., 2021 , Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 , Zhang et al., 2020 ). Here we discuss the perceptions reported in these studies, emphasizing those that involve academic performance and learning skills. We will also review how students perceive their learning process and how parents and teachers perceive it from their perspectives.

4.5.1. Perceptions of parents’ and teachers of children with special needs

Regarding students with intellectual disabilities, five studies have been conducted so far ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 , Averett, 2021 , Sakarneh, 2021 , Scarpellini et al., 2021 , Tellier, 2022 ). Some studies revealed negative perceptions and challenges of remote learning ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 , Averett, 2021 , Sakarneh, 2021 ). In Jordan, Sakarneh interviewed ten parents of children with special needs about their perceptions regarding the use of online platforms, behavioral changes caused by lockdowns, and the level of inclusion of education ( Sakarneh, 2021 ). Parents reported two main issues regarding remote learning adaptation: first, the lack of motivation to complete tasks individually, and second, the use of conventional teaching techniques that were not adaptable to children’s particular needs because of strict schedules and inadequate learning material ( Sakarneh, 2021 ). Studies conducted in Spain, Italy, and the US highlighted the lack of virtual accommodations for the special needs population and the lack of social skills development due to virtual interactions ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 , Averett, 2021 , Scarpellini et al., 2021 ).

On the contrary, some parents and teachers in the US and Canada shared positive experiences with remote learning in children with disabilities. They expressed stress relief, control of mood swings, time flexibility, increased accessibility, and support due to the hard work of school staff ( Averett, 2021 , Pellicano and Stears, 2020 , Tellier, 2022 ).

Several strategies have been proposed. Utilization of concept maps, prolonged work times, and decreases in the number of tasks as well as encouraging children to ask for help, promoting the preparation of the class materials, stimulating peer discussion, familiarization with the learning platform, and using an individualized student center method ( Cui et al., 2021 , Tellier, 2022 , Zhao et al., 2020 ). In Spain, Álvarez-Guerrero et al. analyzed the Dialogic Literary Gatherings responses of five children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 ). Teachers' and parents' perceptions were also examined. Two teachers directed the meetings once a week for six months. Visual aids, such as photographs and drawings related to the literary content, facilitated children's comprehension. In addition, the role of families in learning interaction during gatherings was essential for the transition from face-to-face to virtual dynamics. Teachers perceived the benefits of debate and discussion in cognitive and behavioral processes. Moreover, Dialogic Literary Gatherings were reported to promote children's vocabulary, comprehension, and reading abilities and enhance their interactions with society ( Álvarez-Guerrero et al., 2021 ).

4.5.2. Perceptions of parents and teachers of neurotypical children

In neurotypical children, further studies were carried out that reflected essential concerns, which can be grouped into the following clusters: perception of virtual learning disorganization, increased academic demands, motivational and behavioral changes, and particular academic impact in rural areas ( Sakarneh, 2021 , Scarpellini et al., 2021 , Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ).

First, the overall results reported a perception of the disorganization of distance learning. In Italy, 1601 mothers were interviewed to explore their perceptions of primary and middle school children's experiences with remote learning during COVID-19 lockdowns. The results revealed that 1.5 % of children lacked access to technology, particularly primary school students who were often exposed to less structured routines. Furthermore, the results revealed diminished teacher feedback and contact compared with face-to-face teaching formats. Regarding learning assessments, primary school students performed less than in the previous academic year. In contrast, middle school grades remained consistent because of better planning of tests and oral exams ( Scarpellini et al., 2021 ). In a survey conducted in Poland, school children's concerns were regarding the lack of feedback from teachers, unclear evaluation parameters for older students, and an absence of academic progress comparison with peers among younger students ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ).

Second, the curriculum structure was a perceived concern, particularly increased academic demands. A national survey in Poland assessed adolescents' perceptions of remote learning and performance during COVID-19 lockdowns ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ). For older students, curriculum structure was identified as a difficulty, particularly increased academic demands ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ). In China, Cui et al. conducted a questionnaire with 1008 elementary school children and parents, distributed in two data collection periods, one at the beginning and the other at the end of 40 days during China's COVID-19 lockdown ( Cui et al., 2021 ). According to the results, parents agreed that the lecture format was inadequate, surpassing students' capacities and potentially promoting emotional and behavioral disturbances ( Cui et al., 2021 ).

Third, a lack of motivation and behavioral problems were commonly raised in surveys. A survey by Cui et al. revealed that a trend for decreased motivation was reflected in uncompleted homework assignments and dissatisfaction with online lessons ( Cui et al., 2021 ). Moreover, Korzycka et al. reported that lack of motivation was thought by children to be secondary to the lack of a school environment and extracurricular activities ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, Italian mothers also reported behavioral changes, such as reduced attention span (< 20 min), an increased need for breaks (every 10 min), restlessness in younger children (69.1 %), and anxiety in older children (34.2 %) ( Scarpellini et al., 2021 ). In addition, living conditions during COVID-19 lockdowns significantly affected children's motivation, and the degree of happiness and fatigue were related to the size of housing ( Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ). Specifically, larger house environments were associated with greater happiness and less fatigue, while participants that lived in rural areas had increased levels of physical activity and reading ( Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ). A survey performed in India regarding the perception of teachers and students towards online classes reported generalized negative feedback and overall preference for regular classes and highlighted the influence of learning environments on the quality of online learning and teaching ( Selvaraj et al., 2021 ).

Finally, specific academic impacts in rural areas were also reported in three studies ( Korzycka et al., 2021 , van Cappelle et al., 2021 , Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ). In Spain, a 45-day cross-sectional study was performed to analyze the effects of living conditions during COVID-19 on educational activities and learning processes. A sample of 837 0–12-year-old children and their families responded to a validated questionnaire, and daily life activities were compared between children from urban and rural areas. Regarding technological devices, children with higher usage tended to live in apartments, followed by children without gardens in their houses, who mostly lived in urban areas ( Zagalaz-Sánchez et al., 2021 ). In addition, students in rural areas faced significant tech-support challenges in remote learning compared with students from large cities ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ).

Similarly, a study reflecting on the findings from a UNICEF survey in India found several factors related to adolescents' perception of their learning. The frequency of teacher contact and live video classes had a positive impact. However, time spent on domestic chores significantly decreased reported levels of perceived learning ( van Cappelle et al., 2021 ).

Overall, the authors proposed that the multiple stimuli involved in remote learning can overload children’s integrating learning abilities ( Korzycka et al., 2021 ). The lack of appropriate cognitive stimulation and social interaction caused by COVID-19 lockdowns might affect learning performance, particularly in young children ( Scarpellini et al., 2021 ). Further institutional efforts should focus on comprehending social determinants to improve interventions and academic conditions for children.

4.6. Emotional and behavioral impacts on academic performance

Some previous studies have focused on understanding the emotional and behavioral factors regarding learning and academic environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, only three studies have sought to relate these factors to children's school performance and learning abilities ( Giménez-Dasí et al., 2020 , Zhang et al., 2020 , Zhao et al., 2020 ). For example, resilience, emotional regulation, psychiatric disorders, and behavioral changes have been examined in various studies. In Spain, Giménez-Dasí et al. evaluated psychological and behavioral effects in 167 3-to-11-year-old children and their families ( Giménez-Dasí et al., 2020 ). The System of Evaluation of Children and Adolescents questionnaire was assessed twice: before and after 4–6 weeks of lockdown. The results were divided between older (6–11-year-olds) and younger (3-year-olds) children. Older children exhibited the worst emotional regulation, attention, self-control, and willingness to study. In addition, younger children's parents reported worsening psychological states (55 % in early Childhood and 64 % in Primary education), whereas 36 % reported no change, and 17 % felt that their child's psychological state had improved ( Giménez-Dasí et al., 2020 ). Similar results were reported by Zhao et al. in 2010 school-aged children, parents, and teachers, using online questionnaires for seven days in China ( Zhao et al., 2020 ). Overall, participants reported that homeschooling methods were acceptable, whereas teachers mentioned a possible decline in children's academic performance, motivation, and focus. In addition, the results revealed that 17.6 % of respondents suspected emotional and behavioral problems in children, and 68.8 % of parents reported that their children had more than 3 h of screen time per day, which exceeds the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics ( Committee on Public Education, 2001 , Zhao et al., 2020 ). Another study conducted in Spain found that online digital storytelling activity during the pandemic crisis provided primary school cognitive, emotional, and social support ( Alonso-Campuzano et al., 2021 ).

In China, Zhang et al. evaluated emotional resilience and its effects on learning skills in 896 12–14-year-old middle school children ( Zhang et al., 2020 ). In addition, different questionnaires were implemented in seventh and eighth graders during the first lockdown period. The results revealed that greater resilience contributed to a better time, environment, and resource management abilities. However, the authors reported that the follow-up duration was short and suggested further studies examining other factors, such as academic performance, family support, and technology habits ( Zhang et al., 2020 ).

5. Limitations

The number of studies selected for qualitative analysis is low, which impedes significant overall conclusions of the effects of lockdowns on academic outcomes. Although studies analyzed in this review provide general conclusions about the impact of remote learning on children's school performance, additional studies are required to further evaluate the potential moderators of learning. Furthermore, articles included in this study are heterogeneous in terms of the number of subjects, study design, and evaluation methods, which makes results difficult to compare one to another, thereby reaching subjective conclusions rather than quantitatively significant results. We also acknowledge an important geographic bias since most of the studies with significant results in academic performance were conducted in selected regions, and we found less evidence from Latin America, Africa, and other developing countries.

6. Conclusions

A relatively small number of studies examining the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on academic performance and learning abilities have been published to date. Our analysis suggested several negative consequences of lockdowns and the shift to virtual learning schemes for children's academic performance in different knowledge areas. However, in about 35 % of the studies included, no learning loss was reported; therefore, the negative impact of academic performance during lockdown should be tempered. Some contributing factors were identified: socioeconomic status (type of household and family income), access to technology, learning environment, quality of innovative remote resources, and teachers' feedback.

Furthermore, remote learning has increased the learning gap between students, including those with intellectual disabilities who face a more significant challenge. New learning strategies have been developed to improve assessment and interactive pedagogical tools for improving children's attention, motivation, and willingness to study. In addition, psychological support for the behavioral and emotional consequences of COVID-19 is needed to facilitate children's transition back into in-person learning routines. Further research should focus on the long-term learning impact on school performance after lockdown to establish truthful conclusions.

Preparation for a possible new emergency is deemed necessary. Consideration of flexible learning modalities and standardized tests for performance monitoring could help overcome language, geography, and disability barriers. In addition, psychological support for the behavioral and emotional consequences of COVID-19 is needed to facilitate children's transition back into in-person learning routines. Further research should focus on the long-term learning impact on school performance after lockdown to establish truthful conclusions.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Consent for publication.

This research received no external funding.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

María C. Cortés-Albornoz: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Sofía Ramírez-Guerrero: Conceptualization, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Danna P. García-Guáqueta: Conceptualization, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Alberto Vélez-Van-Meerbeke: Conceptualization, Investigation, Resources, Writing – review & editing. Claudia Talero-Gutiérrez: Conceptualization, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision.

Conflicts of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Appendix A Supplementary data associated with this article can be found in the online version at doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102835 .

Appendix A. Supplementary material

Supplementary material

Data Availability

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• Open access
• Published: 05 April 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic and OBGYN residency training: We have a problem and it’s not just masks

• Alexandria C. Kraus 1 ,
• Anthony Bui 2 ,
• Kimberly Malloy 1 ,
• Jessica Morse 3 &
• Omar M. Young 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  377 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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The COVID-19 pandemic has left no one untouched. Resident trainees have been driven to reconsider virtually every component of their daily lives. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residency training and education.

A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted between 2/2022 and 5/2022. A survey was created and distributed to OBGYN residents. The survey queried the effects of the pandemic on OBGYN residents’ procedure skills training and mental health.

A total of 95 OBGYN residents across programs affiliated with each American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) district participated in the survey. Among them, just over half ( n  = 52, 55%) self-identified as under-represented minorities. A significant majority, 80% ( n  = 81), felt their gynecological training was inadequate, with 70% of fourth-year residents expressing a lack of confidence in their ability to independently practice gynecology after graduation. This lack of confidence among fourth-year residents suggests a notable disparity in readiness for independent gynecological practice, linked to meeting ACGME requirements before completing their residency ( p  = 0.013). Among the residents who reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their mental health ( n  = 76, 80%), about 40% ( n  = 31) had contemplated self-harm or knew a colleague who considered or attempted suicide ( p  < 0.001). This issue was especially pronounced in residents experiencing burnout ( n  = 44, 46%), as nearly half ( n  = 19, 43%) reported suicidal thoughts or knew someone in their program who had such thoughts or engaged in self-harm ( p  = 0.048).

Conclusions

Residents expressed concerns about reduced hands-on gynecological training and doubts about their readiness for independent practice post-residency, highlighting the need for enhanced support through mentorship and revised training curriculums. Additionally, despite the availability of mental health resources to address pandemic-induced burnout, their underuse suggests a need for more accessible time for residents to use at their discretion and flexible training schedules that encourage mental health support resource utilization.

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Introduction

The disease known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first described in China in December of 2019 [ 1 ], and in March of 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the SARS-CoV-2 (i.e., COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic [ 2 ]. The disease has left no one untouched. The healthcare industry specifically has been overwhelmed by the effect of COVID-19 on resources with providers driven to reconsider virtually every component of their daily lives and practice. To sustain adequate hospital resources, elective surgical procedures were cancelled, and clinical volumes were dramatically reduced. Telemedicine was utilized to provide a significant portion of outpatient healthcare and inpatient care teams were condensed.

Resident schedules, in particular, were modified to provide a workforce where necessary and educational curricula transitioned toward virtual platforms in attempts to avoid exposures and to enforce social distancing [ 3 ]. While virtual solutions were implemented to counteract missed in-person pedagogic didactics and conferences, there were no immediate substitutes for the significant reduction of hands-on clinical and surgical experiences during this period. Additionally, visitor restrictions impacted the development of resident communication skills and emotional intelligence. Infected residents often required long absences, which resulted in re-assignments of remaining residents and trickle-down effects on overall residency training and education. Nonetheless, limited studies have been published on the impact of COVID-19 on residency training [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], and specifically, in the field obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) training [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on OBGYN residency training and education.

A nationwide, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted between February 2022 and May 2022. An anonymous survey was created using Qualtrics XM, (an online, secure survey platform), and OBGYN residents across the United States were invited to participate. The survey was preceded by a statement (1) explaining the purpose of the survey, (2) clarifying that the data would be de-identified before analysis and (3) delineating that program leadership would not have access to the responses. There were no incentives to participate. The study was reviewed and determined to be exempt by the Institutional Review Board (IRB #22–0136). A link to the survey was e-mailed to OBGYN program directors and program managers with a request that it be forwarded to all the residents in their program. The emails of the program directors and program managers were obtained from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) website [ 11 ]. Reminder emails to encourage participation were distributed every four weeks for a period of three months. Recruitment posts were placed on social media as well. Responses were captured anonymously to maintain confidentiality.

All OBGYN residents in the United States were eligible to participate [ 12 ]; however, it is unclear how many residents received access to the survey, as there was limited verification from residency program leadership confirming distribution. In addition, multiple emails to both program directors and program managers were returned as invalid, further suggesting that many residency programs did not receive access to the survey at all. As such, it is difficult to report an accurate response rate.

The 28-question survey was developed after a comprehensive examination of the contemporary literature and following a review by local content experts to improve overall quality as well as to ensure content validity among assessed domains. Attention was paid to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies [ 13 ], and in particular, patient care, procedure skills, and medical knowledge, when devising and organizing the survey questions. We were also acutely aware of the potential impact of the pandemic on personal attitudes and a portion of the survey was dedicated to inquiring about resident well-being and burnout.

Demographic and program information was collected and included the following: clinical postgraduate year (PGY), age, race/ethnicity, gender, and residency program location (based on The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) District). With respect to patient care and procedural skills, the survey specifically queried residents about modifications to their schedules, duty hours, operative volume (major and minor surgical procedures), clinical duties, and availability and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Residents were also asked if these changes affected their graduation requirements and overall preparedness for their postgraduate careers. When considering the impact of COVID-19 on residents’ medical knowledge, we asked about changes to educational curricula and their impact on rotation evaluations and CREOG scores. Finally, we attempted to determine the psychological effect of the pandemic on resident well-being and asked about resources provided by residency programs to combat potential burnout. The full survey is available for review in Appendix 1.

Descriptive analysis was used to summarize the data. Statistical analysis was performed using χ 2 test or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate for categorical data and Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous data. P values of < 0.05 were considered significant. All analyses were performed using multiprocessor Stata 17.0 (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas).

One hundred thirty-five OBGYN residents initiated the survey; however, only 95 residents completed the survey in its entirety. All respondents were vaccinated and trained at programs representing each ACOG District. The respondent demographics are detailed in Table  1 . The majority of participants ( n  = 61, 64.2%) were senior OBGYN residents (i.e., PGY3 or PGY4). Eighteen (18.9%) residents self-identified as PGY1s and 16 (16.8%) as PGY2s. Most were between 25 and 34 years of age ( n  = 88, 92.6%) and more than half of the residents ( n  = 52, 54.7%) self-identified as under-represented minorities (i.e., Black or LatinX). Thirty-two (33.7%) residents had been personally infected by COVID-19, and 38 (40%) had immediate household contacts who contracted COVID-19.

Eighty-two (86.3%) residents felt that their residency training had been adversely affected by COVID-19, and 70 (73.7%) had an interruption in their regularly scheduled residency training; however, over 75% ( n  = 76) of resident participants believed that their CREOG scores and rotational evaluations were unchanged during the pandemic. With respect to their procedural training, most residents ( n  = 75, 78.9%) did not think their obstetrical training had been deleteriously affected, while over 80% ( n  = 81) of residents felt that their gynecological training had suffered. Moreover, over half ( n  = 55, 57.9%) of respondents trained at institutions where restrictions were placed on gynecological procedures for greater than eight weeks. The approximate numbers of gynecological procedures performed by residents by clinical postgraduate year are illustrated in Table  2 . OBGYN minimum numbers (which represent what the ACGME Review Committee [ 14 ] believes to be an acceptable minimal experience for OBGYN residents) are listed as well for reference. Of note, self-reported obstetrical numbers by clinical postgraduate year are described in Supplemental Table 1 for additional review.

As expected, there were significant differences in approximate gynecological numbers by clinical postgraduate year, with increasing numbers from PGY1 to PGY4 ( p  < 0.001). Notably, the median procedure numbers among 4th-year residents were all above the minimum ACGME requirements; however, the lower quartile of self-reported gynecological numbers for vaginal hysterectomies (15 (10.75–16.75)) and incontinence and pelvic floor procedures (25.5 (20.5–30)) were below the minimum ACGME requirements, indicating that the lower quartile of PGY4 respondents were likely not meeting these gynecological procedure minimums.

When asked about reaching their ACGME minimums, over a third ( n  = 40, 42.1%) of respondents were unsure if they would be able to achieve these minimum requirements by graduation. Moreover, almost 65% ( n  = 60) of residents stated that they were not confident they could practice gynecology independently upon graduation. In contrast, approximately 87% ( n  = 83) of OBGYN respondents believed they were poised to practice obstetrics autonomously following residency.

Responses from 4th-year residents to these survey questions are specifically examined in Table  3 . When analyzing the responses of those PGY4 respondents who were worried they would not reach their ACGME minimums by graduation, a significant proportion of residents were not confident in their ability to practice gynecology independently following graduation. Namely, of the 27 4th-year OBGYN respondents, seven (26%) were not certain they would attain their ACGME minimums, and of those seven, over 70% ( n  = 5) did not feel prepared for autonomous practice of gynecology following graduation. Of those PGY4 residents who thought they would attain their ACGME minimums ( n  = 20, 74%), approximately 80% ( n  = 4) felt assured about their self-directed performance of gynecologic procedures after residency. These findings illustrate that there is a significant difference in the proportion of 4th-year residents ready for independent practice in gynecology depending on their ability to meet their ACGME requirements by graduation from residency ( p  = 0.013). This difference did not persist when investigating respondents’ confidence in independent post-graduation obstetrics practice and meeting ACGME minimum requirements ( p  = 0.756).

A significant portion of the survey attempted to determine the psychological effect of the pandemic on resident well-being. When asked about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients infected with COVID-19, 20% ( n  = 15) of residents reported they did not have access to adequate PPE. Forty-five (47.3%) respondents reported violating the 80-hour per week duty requirement, and 15 residents (15.8%) reported having less than four days off per month on average during the pandemic. Over 45% ( n  = 44) of OBGYN residents conveyed that the pandemic interfered with their ability to perform at work, and 80% ( n  = 76) stated that COVID-19 had adversely influenced their mental health. Notably, 31 (32.6%) participants maintained that they had, or knew another OBGYN resident that had suicidal thoughts or had attempted self-harm or suicide.

Additional questions inquired about the support provided by residency programs and institutions to combat burnout. Over 70% of residents ( n  = 67) considered their residency leadership supportive of their wellness and education during the pandemic. Moreover, 80 (84.2%) OBGYN respondents stated that their institution had mentalhealth resources available; however, only 28 (29.4%) of residents utilized such resources.

The data on residents’ perceptions of the pandemic’s impact on mental health and their ability to perform at work (a measure used to indicate burnout) is correlated with their views on residency support, suicidal thoughts, access to wellness resources, and utilization of mental health services, as presented in Table  4 . Of those residents ( n  = 76) who communicated the negative influence of the epidemic on their mental health, approximately 40% ( n  = 31) had thoughts of or knew a fellow OBGYN resident who had had thoughts of self-harm, or even potentially attempted suicide ( p  < 0.001). This significant finding persisted among those residents who suffered from burnout ( n  = 44) as almost half ( n  = 19, 43.2%) of those residents reported suicidal thoughts or actions either themselves or among those within their residency program ( p  = 0.048). In contrast, of those residents who affirmed that their mental health was unaffected by the pandemic ( n  = 18), none communicated suicidal thoughts or attempted self-harm.

Our data demonstrates that COVID-19 has had a grave academic and psychologic impact on OBGYN residents across the country. Procedural training in gynecology was particularly impacted. Over 80% residents reported that their gynecological training had suffered and over half of respondents trained at institutions where restrictions were placed on gynecological procedures for greater than eight weeks. When asked about attaining their ACGME minimums, over a third of residents were unsure if they would be able to achieve these requirements in gynecology by graduation, and approximately two-thirds of respondents stated that they were not confident that they would be able practice gynecology independently following graduation from residency. When concentrating on graduating (i.e., 4th-year) resident responses, there was a significant difference in the proportion of residents reporting readiness for intendent practice in gynecology depending on their ability to meet their ACGME requirements by graduation from residency.

Resident mentalhealth was also negatively altered by the pandemic. Nearly half of OBGYN residents reported that the pandemic interfered with their ability to perform at work. While over two-thirds of residents stated that their institution had mentalhealth resources available, less than a third of residents utilized such resources. Most notably, almost a third of residents maintained that they had, or knew another OBGYN resident that had, suicidal thoughts or had attempted self-harm or suicide– emphasizing the profound psychological effect of the pandemic.

Our pilot study contributes to the emerging body of research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on OBGYN residents [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. It corroborates findings from Europe, where OBGYN residents experienced reduced surgical training and teaching, leading to concerns about the quality of patient care [ 15 ]. Work by Harzif et al., also complements this by examining the psychological impact (i.e., anxiety, depression, and psychological trauma) of the pandemic on Indonesian OBGYN residents [ 16 ]. Additionally, a cross-sectional survey by Winkle et al., delved into if residents’ self-reported experiences of burnout and other issues, such as depression, binge drinking, and drug use, vary according to their personal activities, including hobbies [ 17 ]. Further research suggested that resident-led wellness initiatives, like providing discretionary time and promoting social events, were the highest rated in supporting resident wellness [ 18 ]. Akin to our study findings, Wadell et al., found residents worried about the pandemic’s detrimental effects on their training, particularly among senior residents [ 19 ]. This anxiety is intensified by a national decrease in gynecologic surgeries and fellowship directors’ reports of new fellows’ unpreparedness for independent surgical practice [ 20 , 21 ].

Our pilot study has several strengths and is the first of its kind to examine the impact of COVID-19 on OBGYN trainees in the United States. Our survey was conducted nationally with representation from respondents training at centers in each of the ACOG districts at a time when the direct effects of the pandemic on training were either ongoing or still very fresh in respondents’ memories, minimizing the impact of recall bias. Furthermore, while small, more than half of the residents self-identified as underfrepresented minorities, indicative of a diverse respondent population. The findings in our pilot study are suggestive of associations that should be replicated in larger samples.

Nonetheless, our pilot study has limitations, namely our low overall response rate and potential for selection bias. It is unclear how many residents received access to the survey, as there was limited verification from residency program leadership confirming distribution. Significant differences between responders and non-responders could have been overlooked. Our use of a volunteer population may not be representative of the general OBGYN resident population, and it is possible that those residents who felt more strongly about their experiences were more likely to respond. Our pilot study was also not longitudinal and cannot be translated to assess long-term effects.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left virtually no one unharmed. Resident trainees, in particular, have been forced to reexamine their daily lives and practice. OBGYN residents in the United States reported concerns about their abilities for autonomous gynecological practice upon completion of residency, lending us the opportunity to provide increased support to new graduates through both formal and informal mentorship. Other potential solutions include both institutional and national working groups on gynecological procedural minimums and considerations of more flexible curriculums such as tracking. Efforts could also be made to develop surgical simulation training programs so trainees can maximize their surgical learning in the operating room. Respondents also conveyed that the pandemic deleteriously affected their mentalhealth, and while support was provided by their residency programs with resources available at their institutions to combat burnout, few residents utilized such resources. A promising solution includes the broader adoption of institution-based wellness programs and increased flexibility and time-off within clinical training to make use of institutional resources. Further large-scale investigations verifying these findings are critical.

Data availability

Data and materials can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the residents who participated in our study.

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Alexandria C. Kraus, Kimberly Malloy & Omar M. Young

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A.K. wrote the main manuscript text. A.B. was responsible for the statistical analysis. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Alexandria C. Kraus .

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The study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill IRB (#22–0136). Participation was voluntary, anonymized, and performed under a waiver of informed consent following review by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill IRB.

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Kraus, A.C., Bui, A., Malloy, K. et al. The COVID-19 pandemic and OBGYN residency training: We have a problem and it’s not just masks. BMC Med Educ 24 , 377 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05364-8

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Received : 18 June 2023

Accepted : 28 March 2024

Published : 05 April 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05364-8

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

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COVID and Autism 2023: Lessons Learnt and Future Directions for Research

Demographic Differences in Access to Health/Therapeutic Services over First Year of the Pandemic: A SPARK COVID-19 Impact Survey Analysis Provisionally Accepted

• 1 University of Delaware, United States

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Introduction: This analysis examined changes in services received and service recovery one-year post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels in children with ASD aged between 19 months and 17 years in various subgroups based on factors such as age, income, race/ethnicity, geographic location, and sex.Methods: An online, parent report survey was completed by the parents of children with ASD in the SPARK study cohort (N = 6,393). Descriptive statistics, chi-square analyses, and Spearman correlations were performed to study associations between various factors and service access, prepandemic and one-year, post-pandemic.Results: One year after pandemic, the lag in service recovery in children with ASD was greatest for PT/OT services followed by SLT. ABA services only recovered in half of the subgroups. In contrast, SES fully recovered and MH and MED services superseded pre-pandemic levels. Younger children received more SLT, PT/OT, and ABA services whereas older children received more SES, MH, and MED services. Higher income families accessed more SES, SLT, and ABA whereas lower income families received more MH services. White families received less SLT compared to non-white families. Hispanic families received more SLT services compared to non-Hispanic families. Compared to rural families, urban families received more ABA services at baseline which also recovered one year after the pandemic. Certain counterintuitive findings may be attributed to home/remote schooling leading to reduced access to related services.Conclusions: Future research and policy changes are needed to address the American healthcare vulnerabilities when serving children with ASD by enhancing the diversity of healthcare formats for continued service access during future pandemics and other similar crises.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, COVID-19 pandemic, Speech Language Therapy (SLT), Physical/Occupational Therapy (PT/OT), applied behavior analysis (ABA), Mental Health (MH) Services, Medical (MED) Services

Received: 29 Nov 2023; Accepted: 09 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Tsai and Bhat. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Dr. Anjana N. Bhat, University of Delaware, Newark, 19716, Delaware, United States

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