Some 81.3 per cent students failed to get education through online platforms during the Covid pandemic period in 2021, according to a survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The national statistical body disseminated the survey findings through a programme in Dhaka on Thursday.
Meanwhile, school drop-out rate in the upper secondary level (classes 9-12) increased during the Covid period in 2021 compared to the pre-Covid level in 2019, the BBS survey showed.
Among the non-participating students in the remote learning system, 42.1 per cent were deprived due to absence of online learning scope in schools, and 41.8 per cent did not have scope of using internet.
Besides, some 39.9 per cent students did not have supporting devices for online learning, 30.9 per cent had no television or radio at home, 24.2 per cent were engaged in home assignments only, and 17.6 per cent were affected for permanent closure of schools, the study showed.
According to the BBS survey, skills of the students in mathematics also dropped due to the Covid impact on the Bangladesh education system in 2021. Math skills of some 25.8 per cent students dropped during the period.
The BBS conducted the survey - "Children's Education in Bangladesh 2021" - on primary, secondary and higher secondary-level schools, taking 9,000 household samples from across the country for assessing the Covid impact on the education system.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin was present as the chief guest in the dissemination programme on Thursday, presided over by BBS Director General Matiur Raman.
DG of Directorate of Primary Education Shah Rezwan Hayat was the special guest, and Chief of SPEAR Section of UNICEF Bangladesh Stanley Gwavuya was the guest of honour. BBS Director Md Mashud Alam presented the study findings.
The BBS survey showed that the drop-out rate of students was higher during the Covid period in 2021 than the pre-Covid level in 2019.
In the higher secondary level (classes 9-12), some 9.7 per cent of the students dropped during the Covid period in 2021, compared to 7.1 per cent in 2019.
However, in the lower secondary level (classes 6-8), the drop-out rate was lower during the Covid period, 3.8 per cent in 2021, compared to 5.0 per cent in 2019.
In the primary level also, some 2.3 per cent students dropped during the Covid period in 2021, which was 3.1 per cent before the Covid in 2019.
The BBS study showed that some 15.4 per cent of the primary school students were out of school during the Covid period in 2021, which was 6.4 per cent before the Covid in 2019.
In the lower secondary level, 15.7 per cent students were out of school during the Covid period in 2021, which was 13.1 per cent before the Covid in 2019.
In the higher secondary level, some 34.2 per cent students were out of school during the Covid period in 2021, which was 31.5 per cent before the Covid in 2019, the study revealed.
Among the out-of-school students during the Covid period in 2021, the number of male students was higher than the female students, compared to the pre-Covid period in 2019.
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