The recovery of pandemic time learning losses: Finish this task

Many schools still need to adapt their teaching to fill the educational gaps left by covid disruption

- ANURAG BEHAR is CEO of Azim Premji Foundation.

In March 2020, about five years ago, schools were shut because of covid. Thereafter, school operations remained unstable, opening and shutting periodically. The cataclysmic second wave demolished efforts and hopes to get children back into schools. Only by April 2022 did things return to 'normal'. This disruption of schooling for nearly two years led to a massive loss of learning. What was supposed to be learnt during this period was not. In addition, children forgot a lot of what they had learnt previously.

Have we been able to recover this lost learning for our children in the three years that have passed? The answer is 'no'. Even in states that have done the best, the learning recovery isn't full.

Two things need to be noted. First, there is a noticeable variance in learning recovery across classes. The worst affected, where recovery has been the least, are students now in class 5. These children had just been admitted to schools when they were shut in March 2020. So, their first two years of schooling were through that period of severe disruption.