Impacts of school closures on school-age children
| Economic impacts |
| “The global and national economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has lingering effects. Structural problems predominate such as: (i) unemployment and job insecurity, (ii) chronic poverty and inequality, high incidence of criminal acts; (iii) low levels of public spending on education and health.” [Peru] |
| “The lack of smartphones, internet connectivity and a drop in income for their parents became a major obstacle to their continued schooling.” [Ecuador] |
| “However, the persistent digital divide could especially penalize the poorest individuals or those who live in rural areas in their access to teleworking and online education.” [Ecuador] |
| “In the moving quarter June–August 2021, 33.6% of households reported not being able to pay the pension due to reduced economic income.” [Colombia] |
| “In 3.2% of households, children and adolescents need to work to support the household economy.” [Colombia] |
| “Measures such as social isolation and school closures lead to an increase in unpaid work in the non-commercial sphere, overburdening women.” [Bolivia] |
| Learning impacts |
| “This is how the proposal of the “new school” arises, which has as its center the well-being of the student and seeks to broaden the vision towards the development of diverse experiences, inside and outside school, that promote students to build their own learning, put their skills into play and become increasingly autonomous in their learning processes.” [Peru] |
| “In the most disadvantaged households, parents tend to have lower skills to accompany and support the learning process.” [Ecuador] |
| “The lowest wealth quartile, indigenous students, students whose mothers have secondary education or lower, and students without internet access – have less access to remote learning technologies, and are less likely to be doing schoolwork.” [Ecuador] |
| “The most vulnerable children and adolescents – those with disabilities, those living in poverty, refugees and migrants, and especially girls – face greater barriers to education.” [Ecuador] |
| “26.8% of households reported that they were unable to pay tuition due to reduced economic income as a result of the pandemic … 21.7% of households reported that the educational institution offers virtual classes, but the household does not have Internet access … 20.6% of households have children who need to work.” [Colombia] |
| “For the Recovery of the Right to Education for all”, since this constitutional right was arbitrarily violated by the early closing of the school year in 2020, a negative impact that caused serious consequences in the educational process of the students.” [Bolivia] |
| Mental health impacts |
| “Schools play a fundamental role, so consideration should be given to establishing a community support network, especially identifying children and adolescents at higher risk of mental disorders.” [Peru] |
| “We do see higher levels of depression for females, and for indigenous students.” [Ecuador] |
| “We see that 16% of students have mental health scores that indicate major depression, while 68% are happy. Although we do not have pre-COVID-19 measures for these same students, this level of depression is substantially higher than the 6.2% rate.” [Ecuador] |
| “Socio-economically disadvantaged families fared worse in terms of their mental health during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with families with more resources. Factors such as parental unemployment, low parental educational attainment, low family income, single parenthood, and residing in a very small living space.” [Colombia] |
| “Caregivers from higher class backgrounds are more likely to report feeling anxious about students in their homes.” [Colombia] |
| “One of the most recurrent feelings expressed by the children during the interviews was sadness. This sadness was the result of the realization that the activities they used to do before and the world they knew was changing. There was also sadness and fear of losing their family members.” [Bolivia] |
| “A common feeling experienced by the children as a result of their inability to see, play and hug friends and relatives as they used to. They also expressed deep fears and anxieties about the pandemic including getting sick or losing people they love.” [Bolivia] |
| Physical health impacts |
| “The specialist said that the school, in addition to being the place of formal education, is one of the most important spaces for socialization and play for boys, girls and adolescents between 3 and 17 years old.” [Peru] |
| “For students from the most vulnerable families, going to school is a fundamental source of food and care.” [Ecuador] |
| “Children, adolescents, and their families have suffered the main consequences of the closure, especially those who live in poverty, do not have internet access, have disabilities, are migrants or are women.” [Ecuador] |
| “School feeding is a guarantee of access and permanence of children and adolescents in the educational system, recognized in the Colombian legal framework; (ii) one of its main objectives is to guarantee classroom attendance in decent conditions, without students being exposed to hunger and malnutrition and, therefore, avoiding school dropouts; Likewise, it contributes to adequate physical and psychological growth and development; it promotes the highest possible level of health; it enhances the attention of minors to learning and increases school enrollment.” [Colombia] |
| “The students, who are unable to carry out their educational activities normally, do not have access to the Alimentación Complementaria Escolar (“Complementary School Feeding”) (ACE) program.” [Bolivia] |
| “The global and national economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has lingering effects. Structural problems predominate such as: (i) unemployment and job insecurity, (ii) chronic poverty and inequality, high incidence of criminal acts; (iii) low levels of public spending on education and health.” [Peru] |
| “The lack of smartphones, internet connectivity and a drop in income for their parents became a major obstacle to their continued schooling.” [Ecuador] |
| “However, the persistent digital divide could especially penalize the poorest individuals or those who live in rural areas in their access to teleworking and online education.” [Ecuador] |
| “In the moving quarter June–August 2021, 33.6% of households reported not being able to pay the pension due to reduced economic income.” [Colombia] |
| “In 3.2% of households, children and adolescents need to work to support the household economy.” [Colombia] |
| “Measures such as social isolation and school closures lead to an increase in unpaid work in the non-commercial sphere, overburdening women.” [Bolivia] |
| “This is how the proposal of the “new school” arises, which has as its center the well-being of the student and seeks to broaden the vision towards the development of diverse experiences, inside and outside school, that promote students to build their own learning, put their skills into play and become increasingly autonomous in their learning processes.” [Peru] |
| “In the most disadvantaged households, parents tend to have lower skills to accompany and support the learning process.” [Ecuador] |
| “The lowest wealth quartile, indigenous students, students whose mothers have secondary education or lower, and students without internet access – have less access to remote learning technologies, and are less likely to be doing schoolwork.” [Ecuador] |
| “The most vulnerable children and adolescents – those with disabilities, those living in poverty, refugees and migrants, and especially girls – face greater barriers to education.” [Ecuador] |
| “26.8% of households reported that they were unable to pay tuition due to reduced economic income as a result of the pandemic … 21.7% of households reported that the educational institution offers virtual classes, but the household does not have Internet access … 20.6% of households have children who need to work.” [Colombia] |
| “For the Recovery of the Right to Education for all”, since this constitutional right was arbitrarily violated by the early closing of the school year in 2020, a negative impact that caused serious consequences in the educational process of the students.” [Bolivia] |
| “Schools play a fundamental role, so consideration should be given to establishing a community support network, especially identifying children and adolescents at higher risk of mental disorders.” [Peru] |
| “We do see higher levels of depression for females, and for indigenous students.” [Ecuador] |
| “We see that 16% of students have mental health scores that indicate major depression, while 68% are happy. Although we do not have pre-COVID-19 measures for these same students, this level of depression is substantially higher than the 6.2% rate.” [Ecuador] |
| “Socio-economically disadvantaged families fared worse in terms of their mental health during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with families with more resources. Factors such as parental unemployment, low parental educational attainment, low family income, single parenthood, and residing in a very small living space.” [Colombia] |
| “Caregivers from higher class backgrounds are more likely to report feeling anxious about students in their homes.” [Colombia] |
| “One of the most recurrent feelings expressed by the children during the interviews was sadness. This sadness was the result of the realization that the activities they used to do before and the world they knew was changing. There was also sadness and fear of losing their family members.” [Bolivia] |
| “A common feeling experienced by the children as a result of their inability to see, play and hug friends and relatives as they used to. They also expressed deep fears and anxieties about the pandemic including getting sick or losing people they love.” [Bolivia] |
| “The specialist said that the school, in addition to being the place of formal education, is one of the most important spaces for socialization and play for boys, girls and adolescents between 3 and 17 years old.” [Peru] |
| “For students from the most vulnerable families, going to school is a fundamental source of food and care.” [Ecuador] |
| “Children, adolescents, and their families have suffered the main consequences of the closure, especially those who live in poverty, do not have internet access, have disabilities, are migrants or are women.” [Ecuador] |
| “School feeding is a guarantee of access and permanence of children and adolescents in the educational system, recognized in the Colombian legal framework; (ii) one of its main objectives is to guarantee classroom attendance in decent conditions, without students being exposed to hunger and malnutrition and, therefore, avoiding school dropouts; Likewise, it contributes to adequate physical and psychological growth and development; it promotes the highest possible level of health; it enhances the attention of minors to learning and increases school enrollment.” [Colombia] |
| “The students, who are unable to carry out their educational activities normally, do not have access to the Alimentación Complementaria Escolar (“Complementary School Feeding”) (ACE) program.” [Bolivia] |
Source(s): Table created by authors
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