Equitable and quality learning beyond COVID-19: The perspectives of school principals and teachers

• In Event: Mind the gap: understanding education inequality in developing countries

Proposal

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ethiopian government was working hard to transform the education system to provide equitable learning for all students through the implementation of a large-scale education reform programme GEQIP-E (2018-22). However, following the confirmation of the first case of COVID-19 in Ethiopia in March 2020, school doors were shut and the implementation of the GEQIP-E programme came to a standstill. It is expected that the COVID-19 school closures will compromise the quality of education and widen inequalities between different groups of students. The Research for Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Ethiopia research team undertook a phone survey with school principals, teachers, education bureau officials and donors to understand the impact of the COVID-19 school closures on the education system. This was part of the wider RISE Ethiopia study which has been evaluating the effect of the GEQIP-E programme on the education system. The inclusion of multiple stakeholders in the phone surveys across seven diverse locations in Ethiopia, in both rural and urban settings, has provided a system-level perspective of the effect of COVID-19 on education. Drawing on the quantitative data from these phone surveys, in this paper we seek to understand the impact of the COVID-19 school closures on the education system at large and the possible impact on students’ learning outcomes, especially those who are disadvantaged. We explore how those who are identified most at-risk of dropping out can be supported to safely return to school, and what is needed to help those who missed out most during the school closures to catch-up on lost learning. We expect that these findings will have relevance for reinvigorated efforts to build and strengthen a resilient education system in Ethiopia, while also having a bearing on the global conversation concerning the ability of education systems to promote meaningful learning.

Authors

• Louise Yorke, REAL Centre, University of Cambridge

• Pauline Rose, University of Cambridge

• Tassew Woldehanna, Addis Ababa University