A recent study by the Asian Development Bank, ADB, shows that the performance of classes X and XII students during the COVID-19 pandemic was relatively strong compared with other countries at a similar level of economic development. The research found that the performance gap between students who were financially stronger and those who had financial problems did not widen, unlike in other countries.
Test scores of almost 7,000 students in Dzongkha and English subjects were compared before and after the COVID-19 pandemic for the study.
The ADB research found that only 16 per cent of students had at least one parent with a higher secondary education. This suggests that many students might have faced difficulty getting academic support at home.
The study also found that 42 per cent of the students surveyed had a computer at home. But the coverage of television and mobile phones was much higher at 89 per cent and 98 per cent respectively.
The study also found that 40 per cent of the surveyed students were in schools without boarding facilities. The research points out how necessary it was to offer a range of remote or online learning solutions to these students.
According to an economist with the ADB, Milan Thomas, who carried out the research, additional boarding facilities provided by the government as an immediate response to the students helped prevent learning loss.
‘‘What was unique to this COVID period is that we found that the students who studied in boarding schools were better performing than the students who stayed at home. This was especially true for the students who would have faced a difficult learning environment if they stayed at home. There is already a long history of relying on boarding facilities to provide education for all. What happened is during COVID-19, the key pillar of the secondary school was able to step in and provide a protective learning environment for the students.’’
He also added that the research was done to understand the education system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘‘If you look at other countries where the COVID-19 pandemic was most disruptive, you typically see that the gaps between the most advantaged students and the most disadvantaged students grew even larger during the school closures. In our new ADB study, we find that it is not the case in Bhutan.’’
However, the research suggests that school closures during the pandemic were most likely damaging for younger students who were less prepared for online instruction and had experienced a longer period of school closures in the country.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Sherub Dorji
