1. Pre-Primary Education and School Readiness Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Ethiopia.
- Author
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Kim, Janice, Araya, Mesele, Rose, Pauline, and Woldehanna, Tassew
- Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic ,SCHOOL children ,READINESS for school ,CAREGIVERS ,SCHOOL closings ,POLITICAL leadership ,EARLY childhood education ,EDUCATIONAL attainment - Abstract
This article investigates to what extent disrupted schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected pre-primary-age children's school readiness in Ethiopia. We use data on early numeracy of 2,640 children collected before and after the eight-month school closure to assess their learning progress in the context of COVID-19. We find that children who attended pre-primary school prior to the school closures performed better than those who did not after schools re-opened, and made greater gains in early numeracy at primary school entry. For children who attended pre-primary education, boys, children with literate caregivers, and those from wealthier families show significantly greater learning gains than their peers, which raised concerns about widening learning inequality as a result of the pandemic. Given that pre-primary education was the most neglected part of the government's COVID-19 education response, these findings point to an urgent need for political leadership to prioritize pre-primary education in responding to the current and future crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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