Urban Biased Infrastructures and Learning during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is motivated by the idea of relative deprivation of rural residents in critical infrastructures according to the urban bias theory. In this period of physical distancing, these critical infrastructures are relied upon to sustain the learning experiences of school children through diverse means of home learning. This paper estimates the relative intensity of home learning between the urban and rural areas under the hypothesis that public infrastructural deficits might depress the diversity of learning experiences provided to school age children in the rural areas. Standard and two stage estimations identify up to 75 percent learning advantage in favour of children in the urban areas. The UN's SDG 4 is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. However, based on this finding, this goal may not be achieved unless critical infrastructural deficits in the rural areas of developing countries are addressed. Hence, there is need for political commitments towards upgrading infrastructural facilities in the rural areas as a critical step towards achieving this and many other development goals. In addition, the identified learning gap should be a critical consideration in national post COVID-19 educational policies.