Presentation on Evidence from Bangladesh: Dr Imran Matin | Presentation on Global Evidence: Dr Rachel Glennerster
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) organized an online discussion on the implications and emerging questions of a potential learning crisis in Bangladesh, on Thursday, 1 July. Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director of BIGD, presented evidence from Bangladesh on this critical issue, followed by a presentation on global evidence by Dr Rachel Glennerster, Chief Economist at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
This was followed by a dialogue including the other discussants, distinguished experts in their respective fields. Dr Rukmini Banerji, Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation, remarked that learning levels among primary schoolchildren in countries like Bangladesh and India have been low even in pre-pandemic times. She also stressed the need for intervention strategies to be prepared for multiple scenarios in the future, including the possibility of schools opening and then having to shut down again.
Susannah Hares, Senior Policy Fellow and the Co-Director of Center for Global Development, highlighted that children in low-income countries already spend a very limited number of years in school, so it is imperative that they do not lose out their formative learning years to prolonged school closures. She also emphasized the need to ensure that schools are safe spaces for children, especially regarding the issue of sexual harassment.
Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC Bangladesh, mentioned that BRAC has focused on low-tech interventions like community radio, feature phones, and conference-calling students, because in the remotest areas of Bangladesh internet access is still very low. Rasheda K Choudhury, Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said that insightful research like these should also be communicated to policymakers through effective campaigning for the evidence to have real impact in society.
Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor of the a2i Programmme, said that the government is now focusing on combining high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech solutions in designing and delivering education interventions, as internet availability, accessibility, and affordability are all quite low in Bangladesh. Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), stressed the importance of delinking the issue of education life of children from that of school closures. He mentioned that this would allow relevant parties to focus on confronting the learning crisis separately from the issue of reopening of schools.
The persistent and evolving nature of the pandemic means we are yet to understand the true extent of the impact. Disruption in children’s education is one of the most worrying issues of the pandemic, as it can have long-term adverse effects not only on children’s future economic wellbeing but also on social equality and the national economy.
BIGD in partnership with PPRC has conducted a number of studies on the impact of the pandemic in Bangladesh, including one on the education of primary and secondary schoolchildren and adolescents. The findings indicate three major consequences of the yearlong school closures: (1) deepening of the already existing learning crisis in the country, (2) possible future worsening of socioeconomic inequality, and (3) the growing economic burden of out-of-pocket education costs and possibility of dropouts.
