Learning support at home decreases as schools reopen: Study

As schools reopened post Covid-19 pandemic, involvement of parents in the studies of their children witnessed a sharp decline, mostly among students in higher grades.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2021, only 66.6% students from Class I to XII received help from family members in studies in 2021 as against 75% last year.

The decrease in learning support at home was sharpest in students of Class IX and above from 68.3% in 2020 to 56.7% this year – a difference of 11.6%. The survey covered students of both government ad private schools.

“Decreasing family involvement is driven by school reopening, with children who had returned to school receiving less help at home than those whose schools remained open,” the survey said.

While a higher number of fathers were closely involved with their children’s studies in higher classes, more mothers took keen interest in studies from Classes I and II.

For Classes I & II, 33% children received learning support at home from mothers, 29.2% students were helped by their fathers. As many as 18.5% students received no support at all.

The involvement of fathers increased in higher classes – 28% (Classes III-V), 26.6% (Classes VI-VIII) and 24% (Classes IX & above). The learning support from mothers in the above categories was 27.6%, 21.8% and 15% respectively. More than 25% students received no support at home in these categories.

“Help at home is also related to parents’ education level. While close to 80% children with parents in the ‘high’ education category received help at home, this proportion is under 50% for children whose parents have studied up to Class V or less,” the survey found.

In a heartening indicator, almost all enrolled children have text books for their current grades.

According to the report, the proportion of children not currently enrolled in school increased from 1.4% to 4.6% in 2020. This proportion remained unchanged between 2020 and 2021.

Check out the latest DH videos: