Schools started opening in a phased manner after six-month closure in September but have recently been closed again as the country grapples with the second wave of coronavirus. Closing of schools - although necessary due to the global pandemic– must be the hardest decision for the authorities. Or so we think for a country that has 20 million children out of school and a fragmented educational system. Homeschooling and attending virtual classes have tried to control the damage in terms of zero learning during the pandemic, and many are praising how EdTech is shaping the country’s educational landscape. However, not everyone has internet connection, a smartphone, a laptop, or a tablet - and the pandemic is expected to widen inequalities in the educations system with unprecedented implication on the future human capital.

PIDE’s latest Covid-19 Bulletin is a stark reminder of these inequalities that continue to remain unaddressed. It shows how homeschooling and tele school through television (initiative by the government on PTV) - the only options for three-fourth students who go to primary and middle level government schools as well as low end private schools – remain inaccessible as two-thirds of the students have illiterate parents and half of the students do not have access to television. And the access to internet is still not available to around 20 percent of the students at university level – which is a big challenge as all universities are conducting virtual classes. The study also finds striking varied inequality across provinces, which is another loose end.

The disparities are only likely to expand further now that the schools are closed again. The long-term repercussions are magnanimous. And when schools do reopen, the outlook is not sanguine. A recent survey published on Center for Global Development named, “Who Is Going Back to School? A Four-Country Rapid Survey in Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan” shows discouraging trends that could build up once schools open. Results for Pakistan shows that more than 6 percent of children report that they are unlikely to go back to school with boys more likely to report that they will not return to school than girls primarily due to immense gender gap. Children in lower grades face a high risk of dropout with the highest in Pakistan at 20 percent. Moreover, the financial crunch greatly impacts the decision to go back to school. The survey reveals that 60 percent of household’s report facing financial difficulties, and children from such households are almost twice as likely to not return to school compared to households more protected from financial shocks.