Resources

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on school education. It has affected a large
number of children across states, class, caste, gender and region. The shutting down of schools and
the decision of shifting traditional classrooms to digital platforms is not only increasing learning
inequality among children, but also pushing a large number of children out of school due to the
digital divide. Other than learning, the absence of schooling would also have a long-lasting effect on
the health and nutrition of children. The role of the budget in the current situation as well as beyond
the pandemic is very crucial to ensure inclusive education for all. This policy brief highlights some of the issues associated with school closures that need immediate attention.

Insights

The brief suggests some short-term policy measures that can be implemented in the coming Union and State budgets. COVID-19 has created an opportunity for governments to learn valuable policy lessons to deal with such situations and also to revamp the system so that it is better equipped to deal with them. In this context, the policy brief has also put forward a set of long-term measures that the government should implement in the due course of time.