India Case Study: Situation Analysis on the Effects of and Responses to COVID-19 on the Education Sector in Asia

Published in October 2021, this report reviews the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic impacted India’s education sector. It was written by the UNICEF regional offices for South Asia and East Asia and Pacific, in collaboration with UNESCO, Bangkok. Cambridge Education, a consultancy firm based in the United Kingdom, helped carry out the analysis. The report reviews relevant secondary data to gauge the effects of the lockdown and school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s education. It also presents interviews and focus group discussions with school teachers, teachers' union representatives and NGOs working on digital education in India. The report exposes great lack in terms of digital infrastructure and access to technology while evaluating the transition to remote learning during the pandemic. Most teachers – in government and private schools alike – lacked formal training and digital tools during the rapid shift to e-learning. In states like Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka, teachers were not paid their salaries or had to suffer significant salary cuts...