BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody
Governmental initiatives taken at the level of each school such as relying more on writing on blackboards and reading out test questions instead of using printed material, offering scholarships to those languishing in extreme poverty, reduction of school fees, relaxing uniform-related requirements, and widespread media campaigns highlighting the benefits of educational attainment may help in reducing the impact of the economic recession on children’s and adolescents’ education including reducing drop-outs.
These were proposed by Y.M. Rohanachandra (Senior Lecturer at the Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Medical Sciences Faculty’s Psychiatry Department and Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila) in an article on the “Economic recession: The effects on children and adolescents” which was published in Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health 51(3) in September 2022, citing M.N. Shafiq’s “The effect of an economic crisis on educational outcomes: An economic framework and review of the evidence” which studied Indonesian Governmental interventions in select schools during a financial crisis and period of increased costs.
Economic downturns can affect education via several means. Firstly, reduced parental income makes it difficult for parents to cover the basic costs of education, leading to reduced school enrollment and higher school dropout rates. Shafiq elaborated that in addition, parents may have to work for longer hours in order to meet the higher financial demands, in turn resulting in a reduction in the time that they can assist children in their schoolwork. This may lead to poorer academic achievement in children and adolescents. K. Shores and M. Steinberg’s “The impact of the Great Recession on student achievement: Evidence from population data” showed a drop in children’s achievements in mathematics, the English language, and arts during the Great Recession.
An economic recession can also reduce the quality of education due to the constraints imposed on State and local funding for schools. Funding limitations can lead to the reduced recruitment of qualified educators, which can, in turn, adversely affect academic outcomes. Shafiq observed that higher rates of teacher absenteeism have also been noted during periods of economic crises, as teachers engaged in other part-time employment in order to meet their financial needs.
However, all children are not equally affected by economic downturns. Family socioeconomic status, parental education, and the age of the child can all contribute to the effect of economic crises on education. Studies from Indonesia and Costa Rica have shown that the drop in school enrollment was the highest among children from poorer families and those enrolling in secondary school. School dropout rates were higher in families where parents suffered job losses and were lower in children of educated parents. Students who worried about their family’s financial status had a poorer academic performance.
The adverse effects of an economic recession on education are long-lasting. Evidence from studies carried out during the Great Recession indicates that students who experienced the Great Recession during their school-age years, suffered long-term economic declines compared to students least impacted by the Great Recession.
During an economic downturn, parental unemployment and the rising cost of living may force parents to turn towards child labour. This may result in children who previously worked part-time or after school having to undertake longer working hours and even enforcing children who previously did not engage in labour to enter the workforce. Studies from low-income countries such as Tanzania (10% increase in the number of man hours that children worked per week during the economic downturn), Argentina and Venezuela (the number of children engaged in labour increased by 5% during the economic depression) during the period of economic recessions have shown a marked increase in the rates of child labour.
- Kane’s “What the economic crisis means for child labour” explained that several factors such as the age of the child, the family income, the parents’ educational level, and the family size and make-up all play a role in determining whether a child will be pushed to engage in labour during a financial crisis.