2
RECOGNIZING THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON EDUCATION Austin Dowling, Bermuda Good morning. As mentioned, my name is Austin Dowling. As a student who went through COVID 19 in the middle of my high school career I can attest to the difficulties many students were facing. When COVID hit Bermuda, my school went into online school for the rest of the year. As a result of abrupt change and social distancing I lost a lot of the social connections and educational rigor I needed to uphold a good academic standing. But I’m one of the few who had access to online resources and a household that could sustain a healthy learning environment at home. Many students were not as fortunate. Still, COVID created social problems that the internet could not accommodate. I eventually decided to move to the US in order to gain more social and educational access. It was, of course, difficult to move away from my home and adjust to different cultures and education styles but I got through it and have been able to grow past the problems that COVID created for me. While this helped me, the move was not ideal, and most students had to deal with a completely transformed educational and social landscape in the wake of COVID. Today, the unequal effects of COVID 19, as some communities were hit harder than others, have inevitably put many students at a disadvantage. The effects of educational inequalities that existed before the pandemic, such as unequal access to technology, tutoring, skillful teachers, mental health care, and a stable home environment, have been significantly increased. With regard to access to technology, the statistics are troubling. From the results of a survey from the US Department of Education, before COVID, only 15% of schools had computers for students take home, 50% of schools had teachers that were trained to use technology, 45% of schools had computers at the school accessible to students, while 34% of schools said outdated technology was an issue. From a pre COVID lens, these statistics might have seemed like a minor issue; however, we now understand the importance of having good online access during a pandemic. Furthermore, another huge problem is mental health. COVID has done a lot of damage. According to the CDC, in 2021, more than a third of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year. That’s in the US alone. Worldwide, as reported by the OCHA, half of the children living in fragile and conflict affected countries expressed a need for mental health and psychosocial support as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. And this rises to 70% for refugee and displaced children. Clearly, mental health is worsening Globally as a result of the pandemic. This calls for action, especially in schools. These mental health problems in conjunction with domestic violence and other problems at home, can make a bad situation a living nightmare. The CDC reports that at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year. Also, the Harvard Gazette reports, “A lockdown increases the risk factors for domestic violence in multiple ways: there are more financial stressors because of income loss due to unemployment; there is also the loss of the ability to have breathing spaces for people who are in risky relationships.” Similarly, SAMHSA states, “Children are specifically vulnerable to abuse during COVID-19.
