Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Drivers of educational inequality in Jordan during the pandemic

941
Jordan had one of the most stringent lockdowns in response to Covid-19, with schools closed for long periods. As this column explains, the variation in children’s access to online learning has led to greater inequality in educational outcomes.

In a nutshell

The interaction between the pandemic, school closures and the digital divide contributed to greater educational inequality in Jordan, making it harder for children in poor families to break the intergenerational transmission of inequality.

Children’s families’ socio-economic background is an important factor in their performance at school, and this was particularly evident during the pandemic.

The pandemic shed light on the importance of tackling the digital divide: government efforts should be directed to investing more in ICT infrastructure to be conducive to online teaching and learning.

From the outbreak of Covid-19 in early March 2020 up to the end of September that year, Jordan had one of the lowest national numbers for cumulative deaths per million, ranging from 0.8 to 6 (Ritchie et al, 2020). But while the country was credited with being one of the strictest about closures and restrictions on gatherings and travel, this put huge pressure on the economy (Jensehaugen, 2020; Krafft et al, 2021). GDP growth contracted to 1.6% in 2020 compared with 1.9% in 2019 (World Bank, 2021).

In response to the pandemic, Jordan’s ministry of education advised schools to cease face-to-face learning and move all their educational activities to virtual learning models. The education system responded with online learning and television as a substitute for classroom instructions (Jordan Strategy Forum, 2021).

Figure 1: Stringency index and school closure in Jordan

Source: Author’s calculations; Data from Our World in Data.

Note: The shaded areas show times of school closure in Jordan. The stringency index is represented by the line. Each point on the graph represents the mean of the monthly stringency index collected daily. The stringency index is a composite measure based on nine response indicators including school closure, workplace closure, travel bans, rescaled to a value from 0 to 100 (100=strictest). If policies vary at the sub-national level, the index shows the response level of the strictest sub-region.

Figure 1 shows the stringency index of responses to Covid-19 over different periods of the pandemic. In the early phase, Jordan implemented strict lockdown and curfew measures. It was among the countries adopting the most stringent full-scale lockdown measures in the Arab region:

At one point, the stringency index reached almost 100% since the government restricted people’s movement and allowed them to leave the house only in specific times to buy and fulfil their essential needs. Individuals violating these measures were penalised according to the defence law. Schools were closed until mid-June 2020.

As the first wave of the pandemic came to an end, restrictions started to be relaxed. Jordan was then among the countries that eased restrictions fast. Its stringency index fell from 100% to almost 50% by July 2020.

With the second wave in August 2020, Jordan gradually re-imposed restrictive measures. These reached the peak of their stringency by December. In 2021, the government was more responsive to the changes in the number of Covid-19 cases occurring in each period, by changing the stringency of its policy or by closing schools temporarily. Over the year as a whole, the government was loosening its stringency measures gradually.

But compared with other countries, Jordan was the country with the highest frequency of school closures in 2021, particularly because the government was able to bring schools home. The ministry of education had established an online platform named ‘Darsak’ to allow students from grade 1 to grade 12 to follow their classes virtually. The ministry also broadcast the classes on TV after school closures for 148 days (World Bank, 2021). Jordan subsidised internet costs and institutionalised the transfer of online learning through TV channels with free access (Alshoubaki and Harris, 2021).

This is alarming in the context of Jordan and other Arab countries where the outbreak of Covid-19 had a detrimental effect on school age children. Inequality in enhanced capabilities such as lack of access to internet at home deprived many children from schooling and increased out of school rates in 2020 (UNDP, 2020).

School closures and moving systems to online learning at home required more parental intervention as well as internet accessibility. The pandemic and the school disruptions contributed more to inequality of opportunities and deprivations in the means of support provided to vulnerable children and children at risk, which makes it harder for children in poor families to break the intergenerational transmission of inequality (UNDP, 2019, 2020).

Our research has explored how children’s education is influenced by school closures as a response to Covid-19 in Jordan. To estimate the drivers of children’s probability of using different learning methods during lockdown, we analyse the fourth wave of the ERF monitor survey data in Jordan, which include 2,503 respondents.

The sample restricted to 1,592 households who reported having children enrolled in school to examine the children’s educational attainment through innovative and traditional learning methods in Jordan. Out of 1,592 respondents, 49% are women, 80% are living in urban areas, 75% are Jordanians and 23% are Syrians.

In the data, we have five categories for the methods of learning: educational TV; online education; books and written materials; help from parents or any one else in the family; and in person.

It is noticeable that families play a very important role in helping their children to use online platforms and books. The usage of online education and receiving parental help contributes to unequal opportunities for kids in school. Moreover, educated parents can assist their kids in school work and measure their performance over time. The main drivers of inequality for education are families’ education and financial resources.

Government efforts should be directed to formulate programmes of literacy in information and communications technologies (ICT) so that adults can be trained to use the internet and get access to the e-learning platforms of their kids and potentially help them in their school work. Moreover, schools need to offer clear guidelines for the use of internet and online platforms for teachers and designing training programs on high-quality practices on the ICT skills.

This research project is funded by UNDP and ERF.

Further reading

Alshoubaki, Wa’ed, and Michael Harris (2021) ‘Jordan’s Public Policy Response to COVID-19 Pandemic: Insight and Policy Analysis’, Public Organization Review.

Jensehaugen, Jørgen (2020) ‘Jordan and COVID-19 Effective Response at a High Cost’, MidEast Policy Brief.

Krafft, Caroline, Ragui Assaad and Mohamed Marouani (2021) ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Middle Eastern and North African Labor Markets: Glimmers of Progress but Persistent Problems for Vulnerable Workers a Year into the Pandemic’, ERF Policy Brief No. 57.

Ritchie, Hannah, Edouard Mathieu, Lucas Rodés-Guirao, Cameron Appel, Charlie Giattino, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Joe Hasell, Bobbie Macdonald, Diana Beltekian and Max Roser (2020) ‘Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)’.

UNDP (2019) ‘Development Choices Will Define The Future’, UNDP Annual Report.

UNDP (2020) ‘COVID-19 and Human Development:Assessing the Crisis, Envisioning the Recovery’, Human Development Perspectives.

World Bank (2021) ‘Jordan’s Economic Update April 2021’.

Tags: , , , ,

  • Reham Rizk
    Reham Rizk
    Associate Professor, University of London

Most read

Trust in Lebanon’s public institutions: a challenge for the new leadership

Lebanon’s new leadership confronts daunting economic challenges amid geopolitical tensions across the wider region. As this column explains, understanding what has happened over the past decade to citizens’ trust in key public institutions – parliament, the government and the armed forces – will be a crucial part of the policy response.

Qatarisation: playing the long game on workforce nationalisation

As national populations across the Gulf have grown and hydrocarbon reserves declined, most Gulf countries have sought to move to a more sustainable economic model underpinned by raising the share of citizens in the productive private sector. But, as this column explains, Qatar differs from its neighbours in several important ways that could render aggressive workforce nationalization policies counterproductive. In terms of such policies, the country should chart its own path.

Small businesses in the Great Lockdown: lessons for crisis management

Understanding big economic shocks like Covid-19 and how firms respond to them is crucial for mitigating their negative effects and accelerating the post-crisis recovery. This column reports evidence on how small and medium-sized enterprises in Tunisia’s formal business sector adapted to the pandemic and the lockdown – and draws policy lessons for when the next crisis hits.

Economic consequences of the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran

Over the decades, Iran has faced numerous devastating natural disasters, including the deadly 2003 Bam earthquake. This column reports evidence on the unexpected economic boost in Bam County and its neighbours after the disaster – the result of a variety of factors, including national and international aid, political mobilisation and the region’s cultural significance. Using data on the intensity of night-time lights in a geographical area, the research reveals how disaster recovery may lead to a surprising economic rebound.

The impact of climate change and resource scarcity on conflict in MENA

The interrelationships between climate change, food production, economic instability and violent conflict have become increasingly relevant in recent decades, with climate-induced economic shocks intensifying social and political tensions, particularly in resource-constrained regions like MENA. This column reports new evidence on the impact of climate change on economic and food production outcomes – and how economic stability, agricultural productivity and shared water resources affect conflict. While international aid, economic growth and food security reduce the likelihood of conflict, resource scarcity and shared water basins contribute to high risks of conflict.

Qatar’s pursuit of government excellence: promises and pitfalls

As Qatar seeks to make the transition from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a diversified, knowledge-based economy, ‘government excellence’ has been identified as a key strategic objective. This column reports what government effectiveness means in terms of delivery of public services, digitalisation of services, and control of corruption – and outlines the progress made to date on these development priorities and what the country needs to do to meet its targets.

A Macroeconomic Accounting of Unemployment in Jordan:  Unemployment is mainly an issue for adults and men

Since unemployment rates in Jordan are higher among young people and women than other groups, unemployment is commonly characterised as a youth and gender issue. However, the majority of the country’s unemployed are adults and men. This suggests that unemployment is primarily a macroeconomic issue challenge for the entire labour market. The appropriate response therefore is coordinated fiscal, monetary, structural and institutional policies, while more targeted measures can still benefit specific groups.

The green energy transition: employment pathways for MENA

The potential employment impacts of green and renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa are multifaceted and promising. As this column explains, embracing renewable energy technologies presents an opportunity for the region to diversify its economy, mitigate the possible negative impacts of digitalisation on existing jobs, reduce its carbon footprint and create significant levels of employment across a variety of sectors. Green energy is not just an environmental imperative but an economic necessity.

Global value chains, wages and skills in MENA countries

The involvement of firms in production across different countries or regions via global value chains (GVCs) can make a significant contribution to economic development, including improved labour market outcomes. This column highlights the gains from GVC participation in terms of employment quality in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. Given the high unemployment, sticky wages and wide skill divides that are common in the MENA region, encouraging firms to participate in GVCs is a valuable channel for raising living standards.

Tunisia’s energy transition: the key role of small businesses

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a critical role in Tunisia’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. As this column explains, they are also essential for advancing the country’s ambitions to make a successful transition from reliance on fossil fuels to more widespread use of renewable energy sources. A fair distribution of the transition’s benefits across all regions and communities will secure a future where MSMEs thrive as leaders in a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Tunisia.