Page 60 - EW FEB 2022

Special Report

Bringing back school dropouts SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• In 13 countries, Unicef, in partnership with Airtel Africa, uses mobile
Several students, technology to transfer cash and encourage re-enrolment and online
learning among families
who are now Gobally, 24 Girls are at risk of
breadwinners for million children early marriage, or
their families, have are estimated to required to help
migrated to different have dropped with domestic Remedial education: Global examples
cities, or cannot out of schools in chores. In India,
afford to return to 2020 because of 10 million girls USA (MARYLAND)
school and are the pandemic are at risk of
estimated to have dropping out of • Extended school days: Early morning, afternoon, Saturday school,
dropped out schools night classes, summer programmes, etc.
• Hybrid programmes: One day per week dedicated to remediation

Re-enrollment strategies worldwide MOZAMBIQUE
USA (VIRGINIA) • Intensive recruitment of teachers: Especially at the primary level to
reduce average number of students per teacher and allow dedicated
• Online pre-learning offered to encourage students to come back attention
• Jump start & end-of-year packets: Programmes to welcome
students with a glimpse of 2021 expectations and to help teachers FRANCE
review needs of students, respectively
• Administration to measure learning loss of students via parental
CANADA (BRITISH COLUMBIA) engagement and remote assessments
• Extra support offered via extension of school year to the summer,
• Announcement of guidelines of re-opening schools accompanied by Saturday school, on-demand self-learning platforms,
sessions to answer questions and reassure parents of the safety of summer camps, etc.
returning to school
PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINES
• Flexibility: Enrolment allowed even after school re-opening, • Remedial classes for six weeks for students with grades lesser
than 75%
enrolment forms available online and at local kiosks near schools, • Government allowed schools to be exempted from this plan and
along with extension of deadlines for submitting necessary independently structure remedial classes over the next academic
documents
• Nationwide media campaign: To increase awareness about re- year, if schools had implementation plans in place
opening schools Source: Central Square Foundation

wide closed for all children, have led to ates from the nation’s best universities vast majority of children will experi-
a task of colossal proportions ahead. and workplaces to serve for two years ence severe learning difficulties and
If we are to avert a catastrophe that as teachers in under-resourced gov- stress. Extraordinary challenges re-
will permanently deprive this school- ernment and budget private schools. quire extraordinary response to bridge
going generation of a bright future, Although academics tend to believe the huge, not yet formally calculated,
over the next several years we will that a comprehensive remedial edu- almost two years’ learning loss of the
need to invest heavily to not just close cation effort is the answer, the plain pandemic era,” opines Dilip Tha-
the many gaps the pandemic has cre- truth is that except for the country’s kore, editor of EducationWorld.
ated but to use this as an opportunity best 3,000 schools included in the In the considered opinion of your
to reimagine a new, fundamentally annual EducationWorld India School editors, the best option is for the Cen-
different education system. In this Rankings that are equipped with tral and state governments to hammer
new system continuous learning is enabling infrastructure and digital out a consensus for all K-12 children to
more important than board exams; connectivity, there’s little hope for repeat the academic year 2021-22, i.e,
children come to school to develop children in the remaining 99 percent. declare it a zero academic year. This
skills and values to live fulfilling lives Therefore, the best option is for all in means that in the new academic year
and uplift the lives of others. It will K-12 education to repeat the academ- 2022-23, all schools and children will
take considerable mission-mode focus ic year 2021-22, i.e, declare it a zero re-cover the 2021-22 syllabus and cur-
and resilience planning to build back year. “The heavens won’t fall if young- riculums (see editorial p.10).
better,” says Shaheen Mistri, the est children relearn the 2021-22 syl- Admittedly this is bitter medicine
highly-respected founder-CEO, Teach labus to build a strong foundation for for children and parents. But its out-
For India (TFI). Over the past 13 years future learning. It’s certainly a better come cannot but be beneficial for the
since it was promoted in 2009 TFI has option than routinely promoting chil- world’s largest child and youth popu-
recruited 3,400 well-educated gradu- dren to the next higher class where the lation

60 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2022