How to recover learning in the post-pandemic? – 04/17/2023 – Pablo Acosta

Brazilian students learned less during the pandemic. According to data from the Basic Education Assessment System (Saeb), the percentage of public school students who could read simple sentences in the second year of elementary school decreased from 81.3% in 2019 to 59.8% in 2021. math is also visible. The share of students who knew how to do simple operations involving subtraction and addition in the second year of elementary school decreased from 81.3% to 73.8% in the same period.

In the midst of this context, one state stands out not only for what it lost, but for acting quickly to recover. In Ceará, 90.7% of students could read a simple sentence in 2019. In 2021, only 69.9% had the same ability. The percentage of students who knew how to do simple operations decreased by 10 percentage points, but remained above the national average.

Despite the impact, Ceará still performs better in education than the Brazilian average. In states like Sergipe and Amapá, for example, the percentage of second year students who cannot write a simple sentence is over 60% (in Ceará it is 30%). In addition, of the 100 best public schools in the early years of Brazil, 87 are in Ceará, according to the 2021 Basic Education Development Index (Ideb).

World Bank studies point to four key factors for the state’s success: incentives for municipalities; technical support to municipal networks; robust monitoring and evaluation system; high degree of autonomy for municipalities. In addition to these factors, political leadership is needed to carry out reforms.

Such elements create a fertile soil for municipal networks to thrive. The municipality of Sobral, already analyzed by several studies and a pioneer in educational reforms, is an example. Students from Sobral perform better than developed countries according to Pisa’s evaluation.

Other municipalities draw attention. One of them is Pires Ferreira, with 11,000 inhabitants and one of the lowest GDP per capita in the country, but which houses schools positioned in the first places in the Ideb of the initial years in 2021. Eusébio, located in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza, also stands out. The municipality had an accelerated growth in the Ideb in the initial years, going from 3.8 in 2005 to 6.5 in 2021.

In view of these results, Ceará sets itself up as an example for Brazil and the world in the development of basic skills. That is why, in March, representatives of the Ministries of Education from Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya and Sierra Leone came to Brazil to learn about the state’s experience with support from the World Bank. The delegation is part of the Accelerator Program, which aims to accelerate progress in key skills in several developing countries.

The representatives had the opportunity to go to Sobral, Pires Ferreira and Eusébio to talk with members of the municipal secretariats, directors, coordinators and school teachers.

During these visits, some essential actions for the development of basic skills came to light.

First, education reforms in the early grades to improve literacy help drive rapid results. Second, learning assessments are indispensable for guiding interventions. Third, structured materials with guided teaching plans support teachers in the classroom. Fourth, continuing teacher education, meritocratic selection of directors and the close relationship between administrators and teachers contribute to teaching quality. Fifth, incentive mechanisms (rewards, recognition or financial resources) improve learning performance.

Together, these strategies are capable of accelerating the post-pandemic resumption of learning and serve as inspiration for other countries. By any measure, Ceará is a model for Brazil and the world for ensuring children’s development.

Column written in collaboration with my colleague at the World Bank, Giovanna Pavlovic Quintão, a junior professional associated with the Education team.

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