OECD says 2021 students should be offered summer school after lockdowns

A new global report offers lessons in education for Australia from some of the countries hardest hit by Covid-19.

Summer school and tutors should be offered to struggling students to catch up on lessons lost in lockdown, a new global report says.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report on education calls for schools to stay open “wherever possible‘’ during the pandemic, and for all students in home schooling to have daily contact with teachers.

The report – launched in Paris on Thursday by former Australian Finance Minister and now OECD secretary-general Mathias Cormann – calls for young children and kids from poor families to be given priority for in-school learning during the pandemic.

“The early years are foundational for the social, emotional and cognitive development of children, and prolonged exposure to screens is neither feasible nor desirable at such a young age,‘’ the report states.

“Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds may find it more difficult to study from home, suffer from low internet connectivity or lack parental support at home.‘’

Mathias Cormann, OECD secretary-general, warns that disadvantaged students could be left behind. Picture: Colin Murty

The OECD report says masks, ventilation, testing, quarantine, vaccination and individual classroom closures should be an alternative to shutting down entire schools.

It recommends catch-up classes during the summer holidays, small-group tutoring after school and counselling for students left behind in lockdowns.

The report sheds light on how Covid-19 infected countries have kept schools open in the pandemic.

France kept schools open for kids in years 6 and 7, Germany kept half the students at home with half in class, while Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland kept their senior high schools open despite high infection rates.

In the Czech Republic, only infected children were quarantined, while in France schools closed for seven days once a single case was confirmed.

Mr Cormann warned that children from poor families risk being left behind during lockdowns.

He said kids from disadvantaged families are expected to take five generations to reach the average national income as adults, on average across industrialised nations in the OECD.

“Disadvantaged children are less likely to have access to adequate tools for remote learning, a quiet place to study at home, or the support of their parents or guardians,’’ he said.

“Boys are more likely than girls to repeat a grade and underperform in reading, and less likely to complete (senior high school).’’

Australia did not provide any data for the OECD study showing the impact of the pandemic on education.

Summer school and after-class tutoring is seen as a solution for students who fall behind in home schooling.

But the report provides lessons for Australia in educating students as state and territory governments ease Covid-19 restrictions.

“Even during school closures all students should have daily and dedicated contact with educators,’’ the report states.

“Long phase of distant learning need to be avoided, and daily schedules for hybrid learning (with half the students at home and half at school) work better than weekly or monthly schedules.

“Hybrid and remote learning should be second and third-best options, and only be used when keeping schools open proves impossible to preserve collective health, or students’ and staff’s safety.’’

Across the OECD, high school students have lost 56 per cent of their usual in-class lessons since the start of the pandemic.