The Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on Children’s Education in Disadvantaged and Rural Area Across Indonesia

Abstract

This study used a mixed methods approach to capture key findings on COVID-19 impacts on education and challenges that hinder continued education particularly in disadvantaged and rural areas. The respondents were 900 parents, 943 children, 15 teachers and education officials in 594 villages in 9 provinces of Indonesia. The results showed that 1 out of 3 children stopped learning and children learned less. Children had limited access to widely supported online learning. While the offline method was more applicable, still it had some challenges. Children’s mental health was affected and they experienced excessive emotions of fear and anxiety. Many parents were not ready to support children in learning school subjects while doing livelihood activities at the same time. Some children experienced domestic violence. Parents did not have a spare budget to provide distance learning facilities and had to sacrifice education over basic needs. The risk of drop out of school was heightened.