Young Brazilians Studying Less, Dropping Out More During Covid
Young Brazilians Studying Less, Dropping Out More During Covid
(Bloomberg) -- Young Brazilians are studying less and dropping out more during the pandemic, reversing decades of educational advances and exacerbating the country’s demographic inequalities, a new study found.
School dropout rates among children aged 5-9 years old rose from 1.4% in 2019 to 5.5% by the end of 2020, the highest percentage seen since 2006, according to research from the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian think tank. Although the dropout rate improved to 4.25% in the third quarter of 2021, that was still 128% higher than before the pandemic.
“Younger children, the age group in which we have made great educational advances in the last 40 years, is where we are having the greatest losses,” co-author and economist Marcelo Neri said during a phone interview Wednesday.
There was also a socioeconomic gap when it came to time spent hitting the books when school wasn’t in session.
Poor, Black, mixed-race, indigenous students and those in remote areas are studying fewer hours than their white and Asian-Brazilian counterparts. Wealthier Brazilians between 6-15 years old were able to dedicate 3 hours and 18 minutes per day to studying in 2020 while schools were closed, versus the 2 hours and 5 minutes spent per day by their peers in the lower classes. Welfare-receiving students lost two hours of study time between 2006 and 2020.
“It’s an impressive setback,” said Neri. “The situation is reversible, but it demands a lot of work and dedication.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.