The COVID-19 crisis forced school closures in 188 countries, disrupting the learning process of more than 1.7 billion children, youth, and their families. This had immediate short-term temporary learning loss effects. However, long-term impacts like curbed educational aspirations and disengagement from the school system may be irreversible. This podcast episode deep dives into these adverse consequences and mitigation strategies as schools re-open. 

Our host Nikunj Agarwal is joined in this episode by two experts who share their insights on the impact of COVID-19 on education and what needs to be done to alleviate its impact. Dr. Rachel Hinton outlines the short-term and long-term impact on students, particularly from the marginalised backgrounds across low and lower-middle-income countries. She shares recommendations to keep children learning, including adjusting curriculum by governments. Dr. Rachel Hinton is a Senior Education and Social Development Adviser at Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. She has over 15 years of research and international development experience in the UK, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Rukmini Banerjee delves into how to encourage parental engagement, leverage existing technology, and support teachers better to overcome the learning loss due to the pandemic and the exacerbated Global Learning Poverty. She also shares her vision for education in a post-pandemic world. Dr. Rukmini Banerjee is the Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation. She previously led Pratham’s research and assessment efforts, including the Annual Status of Education Report (also known as ASER). 

This episode is hosted by Nikunj Agarwal; produced by Livey Beha and Read Leask; and researched by Claddagh Nic Lochlainn, Allan Greicon, and Emma Dreyer. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Twitter @oxfordpolicypod and on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.