School Closure during Covid-19 and Likely Impact on Dropout Behavior in Bangladesh: A Theoretical Analysis
- December 3, 2021
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Education, IJRISS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
S.M. Shahidul
Department of Education, Pundra University of Science & Technology, Bogura, Bangladesh
Abstract: Among the countries, with the highest number of days of full school closures, Bangladesh is in third position in worldwide and first in the Asian countries caused by Covid-19. And Bangladesh is in the 28th position where children are at moderate or high risk of drop out from education. Therefore, the foremost purpose of this study is to explore the theories of school dropout to find out the underlying factors of drop out for the children during prolonged school closer due to outbreak of Covid-19 in Bangladesh. Based on the study of BRAC, this study exhibits the current scenario of education during Covid-19, Students’ spending time during lockdown, rate and causes not for participating in distance learning in Bangladesh. This study also explores the dropout theories which are Finn’s developmental theory of high school dropout, structural strains theory, Tinto’s theory of institutional departure, academic mediation theory. This study observed that some of the factors which are particularly relevant to school dropout in online/distance education system.
Key Words: Dropout, school closure, distance learning, learning inequality, theories.
I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Back Ground of Study
In Bangladesh, the whole country went into general lockdown from March 26 of 2020 due to of Covid-19 pandemic. National school closures in Bangladesh started from March 17, 2020 and since then all the educational institutions remain closed. Aside from the economy, the sector which is harmed worst by the outbreak of Covid-19 is the education sector especially in Bangladesh. Because, among the countries, with the highest number of days of full school closures, Bangladesh is in third position in worldwide and first in the Asian countries (UNESCO Global monitoring of school closures caused by COVID-19). There are 34.6 million students in Bangladesh. Among them, 3.6 million students are in preprimary, 18 million in primary and 13 million in secondary school level More than two-thirds of them are from the lower middle class and lower-class families(BANBEIS, 2018).
