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LIRNEasia conducts study on post-Covid-19 digitisation of SL

08 Dec 2021

  • ‘Access to education during the first lockdown was high, but not without problems,’ survey shows 
The Covid-19 pandemic has been termed “the first global pandemic in the digital age”. Measures to combat the pandemic, including lockdowns and the need for social distancing, have forced many of our everyday spheres of activity online, including work, education, buying essentials such as food and medicine, and our social lives. Furthermore, digital tools are a widespread part of pandemic response itself, including using the online world for risk communication, as well as digital/online applications for contact tracing, quarantine monitoring, and more recently, vaccine distribution.  These changes have brought tremendous opportunities, allowing many activities that would otherwise have been interrupted to continue. Digital technologies also open up the opportunity to make pandemic control faster and more efficient through harnessing numerous and varied sources of data. However, inequalities in access to digital technologies and broadband have meant that some have been affected worse than others, along lines such as gender and socioeconomic status.  A new survey shows that 85% of enrolled school-aged children had some form of education services during school closures between March and July 2020. While some received educational services through multiple means, 54% of students received information, instructions, notes, or assignments sent to smartphone, tab, or computer, 50% had live lessons delivered over Zoom and other applications (potentially alongside other methods). Sixty percent received education services through “offline” methods like physical delivery of material (also potentially alongside other methods).  The 2021 islandwide survey conducted by digital policy think tank, LIRNEasia, showed that though 85% received some form of education services, only 48% relied exclusively on services from their school, while 4% relied exclusively on tuition providers and 33% relied on both.  The survey findings were released at a virtual launch event conducted on 8 December 2021, which included a panel discussion with leading government, private sector, and civil society representatives. Panellists included Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) Director General and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) Sri Lanka Chairman Oshada Senanayake, Northern Province Secretary – Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports, and Youth Affairs L. Ilaangovan, PickMe Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jiffry Zulfer, Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) Team Leader – Sustainable Development Karin Fernando, and LIRNEasia Senior Research Manager Gayani Hurulle. The discussion was moderated by LIRNEasia Chair Rohan Samarajiva.  At the virtual conference, it was made known that the research was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) through a grant given to three regional think tanks, LIRNEasia, Research ICT Africa, and Instituto de Estudios Peruanos. The nationally representative sample for the survey conducted in Sri Lanka consisted of 2,500 households and individuals across the country covering 125 grama niladhari divisions. The sampling methodology has been designed to ensure representation of the target group (population aged 15-plus) at a national level with a +/-2.8% margin of error at a confidence level of 95%. The data also allows for disaggregation by urban/rural divide, gender, and socio-economic classification at the national level, as well as by within and outside the Western Province.   How children received education during the lockdown  The main aim of the survey is to highlight if and how Covid-19 changed the state of digital connectivity and the impact that it had on different facets of life, including education, and work in government services.  The survey does not directly reveal information about the continuity or the quality of the education services provided, but the rate of dissatisfaction with the services provides some indication. Despite high access to remote education, over 58% of households were dissatisfied with their remote education experience.  Education Forum Sri Lanka Co-Convenor Dr. Sujata Gamage noted: “These survey data are consistent with ground realities. Soon after schools closed, teachers and local education authorities mobilised whatever resources were at their disposal, whether using WhatsApp messages or leaving notes and assignments at the school gate for collection, to reach out to their students.” She observed that parents seem to have risen up to the challenge as well by increasing their internet access.  She also stated that the survey was designed to look at some indicators that are on a more national level – known as human suffering versus the rest of Sri Lanka and different socioeconomic classification.  Of the households with enrolled school-age children, 76% had access to the internet in 2020, in contrast to the 34% of such households in 2018, according to LIRNEasia’s AfterAccess survey. She further stated: “Not surprisingly, 90% of the enrolled children living in internet-connected households received remote education services.”  Furthermore, it was noted that inequalities in who had access were evident (e.g., children in better-off households being more likely to receive education) as well as what or how content was received (e.g., 50% had live online lessons while 50% did not). There were also inequalities in terms of receiving feedback, with just 48% receiving feedback and the balance 52% not receiving feedback.  The survey also highlighted some of the difficulties that households faced in their children accessing education during this time, ranging from poor signal quality, to not having enough devices to go around in the house, and as stated, many remained dissatisfied with the entire experience.

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