Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on educational disparities across regions and school types in Nepal

• In Event: Education Policy, Democracy and Reform (I)

Proposal

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has shaken the world since the beginning of 2020, many schools had to halt face-to-face education. In developed and some developing countries, attempts have been made to guarantee educational opportunities by offering online classes. Moreover, in developed countries, verification of the learning effects of online classes is being actively conducted. Meanwhile, many developing countries were forced into a difficult situation where they were unable to provide education to their children, primarily due to the lack of Internet access and other infrastructure (UNESCO 2021). However, reports on the actual situation have concentrated on macroperspectives, and detailed studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on individual schools and children’s enrolment and various educational disparities among regions, schools, and individuals, are limited.
In Nepal, which is located in South Asia, the educational gap between public and private schools has become an issue, and movement that seeks “quality education,” such as “from schools in suburban areas to schools in urban areas” and “from public to private schools,” has been established (Ezaki 2021). After the COVID-19 outbreak, the government formulated the COVID-19 Education Cluster Contingency Plan 2020 (Nepal Education Cluster 2020). Measures were taken to address the issue of education, including the distribution of educational programs via radio, television, and YouTube and the implementation of online classes, primarily in private schools in urban areas. However, the overall rate of Internet use in Nepal is only 21.4% (World Bank 2017), and the main concern is that many children do not get access to education, widening the education gap.
Therefore, this study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational inequality in Nepal, focusing on individual schools and children. The following three conditions for selecting the target area for investigation were set: (1) an area where the number of private schools has increased rapidly in recent years, (2) an area where there is movement of children from public to private schools in pursuit of “quality education,” and (3) an area where cooperation from schools and other organizations is available. The study found that the Bhaktapur District was appropriate for these conditions. The district has noted an increase in private school enrolment in recent years (Department of Education 2011) and is an area where there is movement of children between schools (Ezaki 2021). For this study, public and private schools located in the urban and suburban areas of Bhaktapur District were targets, with a total of 10 schools. The data sources were school records, such as school calendars and attendance registers for each target school, and the results of semistructured interviews with the principals and teachers. The semistructured interviews included questions regarding class implementation, children’s access to education, attitudes toward learning, academic achievement, and school transfers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were then compared and analyzed to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the educational disparities between regions and schools.
The results revealed that the delivery of classes and access to education varied according to school location, type, and grade level. In suburban schools, the lack of devices needed for online classes and fragile Internet environment made online classes extremely difficult to implement. Therefore, at the primary education stage (Grades 1–5) in public schools, students were basically required to study at home, assignments were distributed and collected at schools once a week, and teachers made home visits (locally, this method is called “contact session”). Online classes were conducted in public schools for Grades 6 and above and in private schools. However, challenges were found, with only 20% of the children having access to online classes at the beginning. Therefore, measures such as setting up face-to-face class days and incorporating contact sessions were taken.
Meanwhile, public schools in the urban areas tended to have a higher percentage of online classes than their suburban counterparts, although similar delivery methods were found in the suburbs. Moreover, many schools were able to continue their education when the second behavioral restriction was implemented at the end of the school year, because they took time to develop their online teaching environment. As for private schools, some had taken action before schools reopened, and all target schools had introduced online classes at an early stage, thus avoiding the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thus, the delivery of classes varies by school location, school type, and grade level, resulting in significant differences in children’s access to education and amount of learning. In particular, the amount of learning in suburban public schools was drastically reduced. Even in schools that introduced online classes, disparities were initially observed in access conditions; thus, disparities existed within schools. Therefore, the problem of educational inequality is considered more serious and complex than ever. The details, including changes in learning attitudes and academic achievement, will be reported in the conference presentation.

Author

• Naruho Ezaki, Aichi Shukutoku University