The BBC recently reported about the apparent greater inequality in the English education system stemming from the pandemic. The loss has been particularly evident in basic skills and mathematics which are being attempted to be addressed by tutoring and catch-up classes. But as the article discusses “The risk of failing to make up for the learning loss from the pandemic is rated as “critical or very likely” by the Department for Education itself in its annual report”. Throwing a relatively large sum of money at the problem – some £5bn – does not always solve a problem if done in a confusing and non-transparent manner. If this is the sad situation in a leading western economy then the situation must be dire in so many other parts of the world. One can only hope that the latter countries take a more practical approach to solving the matter.
#education #catchup