When schools shut: Gendered impacts of COVID-19 and other extended school closures

Group Submission Type: Paper Session

Proposal

Objective: Enhance understanding of the gendered impact of extended school closures, in particular the nationwide school closures that have taken place in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and present recommendations to guide recovery in ways that promote gender equality, with a view to preparing education systems to meaningfully address gender considerations in future crises.

This panel, organized by UNESCO, the Population Council and University College London, will present the findings of three recent studies. Two of these were prepared within the framework of the Gender Flagship of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, that shed light on the gendered impacts of extended school closures – including those related to COVID-19. The third also informed this work, and provides in-depth analysis of the situation in Pakistan. Understanding these impacts and children’s experience out of school is a prerequisite to developing effective strategies to secure education continuity and promote gender equality in and through education.

Research methods:

When schools shut: gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures analyzes existing evidence on the gender dimensions of the closures, and generates new evidence, based on a literature review, a survey of organizations working on gender and education in over 100 countries, global key informant interviews, and quantitative and qualitative data collected from learners, their parents and guardians, teachers, programme implementers, policymakers and decision-makers, and other stakeholders in 5 focus countries (Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mali and Pakistan). Reviewing responses to the school closures, the study identifies promising practices including efforts to promote gender equality, and to consider and address the gender norms, expectations, disparities and restrictions that impact on education, health and protection outcomes. Evidence-based recommendations to guide pandemic recovery in education in ways that promote gender equality, and better prepare education systems to meaningfully address gender in future crises, are presented. Commissioned by UNESCO with funding from the Global Partnership for Education, the study was prepared by the Population Council.

A systematic review of the evidence on the gendered impacts of extended school closures–a companion document to When schools shut–investigates the evidence in the literature on the negative, mixed or positive gendered impacts of extended school closures and extended periods out of school (when schools are open) on educational access and participation; education outcomes; health, nutrition, well-being and protection from harm; education systems; and socio-economic inequalities. The review considers 94 studies on the gendered impacts of extended school closures such as those that took place during the Ebola pandemic (2013-2016) and the Bougainville political crisis (1988-1977), and 60 studies on the gendered impacts of extended periods out of school due to disruptions related to HIV and AIDS, environmental disasters, violent conflict and extended summer holidays. Commissioned by UNESCO, it was prepared by University College London.
 
The third paper, Gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures: A case study in three districts in Pakistan, informed When Schools Shut. The research analysed real-time data from over 52,000 public schools across Punjab, and included 18 in-depth interviews with parents, teachers and adolescents; 66 focus group discussions with adolescents; and 6 key informant interviews in the northern and more developed districts of Gujrat and Rawalpindi, as well as the southern and poorer district of Rahimyar Khan Gujrat.

Results:
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, school closures impacted over 90% of the world’s student population, from pre-primary to higher education. While COVID-19 represents the largest educational disruption in history, pandemics, environmental disasters and conflicts have led to extended school closures in recent years in different settings around the world; in addition, some children have been unable to participate in on-site schooling for extended periods during previous political, health and environmental crises – even when schools remained open.

The studies underline that schools, even though themselves imperfect settings to build gender equality, nonetheless provide essential sites for students’ formal and informal learning, emotional support and social networks, nutrition, and protection from violence. During and following school closures, exclusions and vulnerabilities may be deepened due to gender norms and expectations that impede participation in remote learning and exacerbate the risk of drop-out when schools re-open; as well as to restricted access to comprehensive support services in gender-related areas such as mental health, violence, sexual and reproductive health, and child marriage, among others.

Despite this bleak picture, the studies highlight the potential for carefully-designed interventions to stave off adverse outcomes for gender equality Indeed, while rapid education sector response efforts, including school reopening and recovery plans, have been almost universally gender-blind, programmes that had already established strong ties with families and communities were better placed to maintain communication with learners and their families when schools closed, mitigating some of the most pernicious effects. Promising practices identified include the use of low-tech and no-tech learning delivery modalities; the development and roll-out of communications and reporting mechanisms for mental health support as well as protection against gender-based violence and child marriage; provision of financial support; and advocacy to support school re-enrolment.

Following the presentations, two discussants will unpack the research findings and discuss research gaps and implications:
- Dr Supriya Baily, Professor, Co-Director, Center for International Education, George Mason University
- Smriti Khemka, PhD student, Cambridge University, and youth expert from UNESCO’s Youth as Researchers global initiative on COVID-19

Sub Unit

• Committee: Gender & Education

Chair

• Justine Sass, UNESCO

Individual Presentations

• Gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures: A case study in three districts in Pakistan - Iram Kamran, Population Council

• A systematic review of the evidence on the gendered impacts of extended school closures - Elaine Unterhalter, Centre for Education

• When schools shut: gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures - Karen Austrian, Population Council - Kenya

Discussants

• Supriya Baily, George Mason University

• Smriti Khemka, PhD scholar, University of Cambridge