The Learning Crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean and the COVID-19 Pandemic : Sobering Results of a Deepening Trend
The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region was suffering from a deep learning crisis, before the COVID-19 outbreak, with most students being below minimum proficiency levels for critical foundational competencies in numeracy and literacy, acc...
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | Spanish English |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2022
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099443504042242867/IDU0e7871c270811504df009e620db34dfd8158b http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37924 |
| Summary: | The Latin America and the Caribbean
(LAC) region was suffering from a deep learning crisis,
before the COVID-19 outbreak, with most students being below
minimum proficiency levels for critical foundational
competencies in numeracy and literacy, according to the
Fourth Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (ERCE).
The pandemic that hit the region in March 2020 led to a
massive shutdown of educational systems, placing LAC as the
region with the longest duration of school closures in the
world. The impact of school closures on education service
delivery was significant. The forced move to distance
learning negatively impacted attendance in the education
process, both when compared to enrollment rates (-10
percent) and with pre-pandemic attendance rates (-12
percent). Most worryingly, one in four students attending the
education process during the pandemic confirmed being
disengaged from learning activities while at home. The
COVID-19 led to a crisis within a crisis, deepening
pre-existing inequalities that characterize the LAC region,
as the most vulnerable populations were disproportionately
affected. A significant increase in drop-out rates and
decrease in learning outcomes is expected, especially for
these groups and countries which were already not doing well
pre-pandemic. There is a sizeable schooling and learning
recovery agenda ahead of LAC, where re-enrollment campaigns,
standardized and in-classroom assessments, and programs to
teach to the right level will be fundamental to determine
the exact depth of educational losses and start recovering. |
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