Eighteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society

Abstract

In Uganda, COVID-19 caused significant learning loss for the majority of pupils over the pandemic, while at the same time hastening the long overdue commitment to technology integration in education. Worldwide, children and adolescents have been severely impacted by the pandemics many consequences, including school closures, isolation, disruptions to typical family and school life, and gaps in health, well-being, and mental health care. However, the pandemic’s effects have not been felt equally in all global communities. Uganda enforced the longest period of school closures worldwide – 22 months – during the COVID-19 pandemic, from June 2020 to January 2022, with an estimated 15 million students not attending school. Within Uganda, rural and urban students have experienced disproportionate educational disruptions and continue to face dire educational lag stressors related to school closures. Presented findings on the known impact of COVID disruptions and enhancers of innovative technology strategies utilized by some in promoting continued learning and connectedness among school aged children draw on evidence from the following sources: Age case-based epidemiological surveillance analysis from Ministry of Health Uganda; Personal testimonies of a sub-set of students and parents in three settings in rural and urban Uganda; Modeling of the long terms effects of school closure on the intersecting areas of educational attainment, health, wellbeing, employment, and socio-economics, based on data from the Early Grade Reading Assessments.