School attendance and the pandemic: FGV Social launches study on return of in-person classes

As restrictions related to the pandemic have been eased, school operations have gone through several different phases. In this context, FGV Social has just launched a study about the resumption of in-person classes and trends identified in this period. The starting point was measurement of the number of children enrolling in and leaving school during the pandemic.

Between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the same period of 2020, there was an increase in the school dropout rate in the five to nine years age group, from 1.41% to 5.51%. This was the highest level recorded in 14 years. In the third quarter of 2021, the dropout rate fell back to 4.25%, but it was still around 128% higher than in the same quarter of 2019. There were different school dropout patterns across different age groups. On average, the youngest children left school more often and returned to school less. The truancy cycle must be tackled early on each year, or it will affect the whole year’s dropout rate. Children consistently had the highest rates of strict social distancing (39.1% between the ages of five and nine, compared to 23.9% among people aged 60 and over, and 10.1% between the ages of 15 and 19, as of September 2020).

In addition, a summary indicator was created to present, in clock format, the hours spent by students on in-person and distance learning. This indicator reflects whether children are attending school, by showing the days and hours they are actually engaged in learning. Using microdata from the COVID National Household Sampling Survey, it was found that as of September 2020, children aged between six and 15 spent an average of 2 hours, 23 minutes studying per weekday. That was five minutes lower than the average for the 15 to 17 age group. This was a reversal from 14 years before, when the older group had spent 34 minutes less studying per day, on average, than the younger group.

During the pandemic, the most study time was lost by the poorest students, those attending government schools, those living in remote locations and, in particular, the youngest children. For example, between 2006 and 2020, the amount of time spent studying by children covered by the Family Grant Program fell by an average of two hours (from 4 hours, 1 minute to 2 hours, 1 minute). While school attendance in the five to nine years age group returned to 2006 levels at the worst moment of the pandemic, it declined even more in broader measurements of study time, especially in low-income groups.

The lack of school activities perceived by students was more related to the lack of supply in school networks than to problems involving demand from students themselves. While 12% of students aged six to 15 did not receive any materials from education managers and teachers, only 2.7% did not use the materials they received for some personal reason. Regionally, this indicator ranged from 38.9% of students in Pará to 2.09% in Paraná. Education inequalities in Brazil increased during the pandemic, reversing the previous trend of growth and equity in the accumulation of human capital. Younger students made the most academic progress in the previous four decades, and they suffered the most during the pandemic. The study argues that COVID-19 vaccination of children is a fundamental measure for reopening schools more safely for everyone.

To see the complete study, click here.