布鲁金斯学会-冠状病毒疾病与教育机会（英）-2021.8-30页_8mb

Summary of Ed Tech and Educational Opportunity During the COVID-19 School Closures in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Core Content

This case study examines the impact of the COVID-19 school closures on educational opportunity in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, with a focus on the use of education technology (ed tech). It explores how access to digital tools, educational engagement, and learning continuity varied across household socioeconomic status (SES), type of school (government or private), and student gender.

Main Findings

1. Pre-COVID-19 Ed Tech Access

• Limited use of digital devices: Only 8% of students used digital devices daily or almost daily in classrooms, and 59% rarely or never used them.
• Ed tech use varied by school type: Private school students were more likely to use digital devices than government school students.
• No significant difference by gender or SES: Access to educational websites or platforms was similar across genders and SES groups.
• No home devices provided: None of the 270 children in the sample were given laptops, smartphones, or tablets for learning at home.

2. During the School Closures

• Enrollment and engagement disparities:
  • 2% of children discontinued school enrollment.
  • 20% of children attended schools that provided no remote instruction.
  • 82% of children were in schools that began some remote instruction, but only 57% attended all classes.
• Inequality in access and engagement:
  • High SES and private school students had better access to digital devices and were more engaged in educational activities.
  • Girls were more likely than boys to engage in educational activities and have access to digital devices.
• Barriers to remote learning:
  • Lack of devices and parents' other responsibilities were the top barriers for low SES households.
  • Child disinterest, health issues, network problems, and parents' illiteracy were also reported.
  • School fees were a significant barrier for private school students, especially in low SES households.

3. School Fee Changes During Closures

• Government schools: Over 90% of parents reported no change in fees or no information about changes.
• Government-aided private schools: Around 90% of parents also reported no change in fees.
• Unaided private schools: 40% of parents reported reduced fees, suggesting that school fees may be a major barrier for low SES families during economic downturns.

4. Quality of Educational Access

• High SES households had better access to most educational resources, including smartphones, internet phones, and other digital tools.
• Low SES households were 18% more likely to have no access to any of the surveyed educational resources.
• Government school students had 17% more access to television, but less access to smartphones and internet phones compared to private school students.

5. Grades and Resource Access

• Higher grades (K-3) had 3% less access to electronic educational resources compared to grades 4-6.
• Television and Wi-Fi were the most commonly used non-digital resources, with low SES students more likely to have access to television.

Key Information

• Sample size: 201 households and 271 primary-school-aged children.
• Survey method: Phone surveys conducted in February 2021.
• SES classification: Based on household assets using principal components analysis.
• Data source: TNICDS dataset, with support from J-PAL India for data collection.

Implications

• The pandemic exacerbated existing educational inequalities, particularly in access to ed tech and remote learning opportunities.
• Private schools and high SES households had significantly better access to digital resources and remote learning.
• Girls were more engaged in educational activities than boys, regardless of school type.
• School fees became a critical barrier for low SES families in private schools, highlighting the need for equitable support and policy interventions to ensure continuous learning.

Conclusion

The study underscores the growing inequality in educational opportunity during the pandemic, emphasizing the unequal distribution of ed tech access and remote learning engagement. It calls for broader and more equitable access to learning opportunities, especially for disadvantaged students and low SES households, to mitigate the long-term learning losses caused by school closures.