Covid takes its toll on literacy and numeracy in Sri Lanka

Over 90 percent of students who were in Grade 01 when COVID-19 broke out have not been able to achieve a satisfactory level of literacy and numeracy, a survey with a sample size of 10,600 such students has found.The report ‘Assessment on achievement levels of foundational skills in literacy and numeracy of Grade 03 students in Sri Lanka,’ by the Ministry of Education has found this.

The survey also found 73 percent of the students do not have a satisfactory level of listening comprehension as well. Only 27 percent of students had a satisfactory level of listening comprehension.The study has also found that 80 percent of those students do not have oral skills that are expected from students of their age.

Sixty three percent of the students do not have a satisfactory level of reading comprehension while 66 percent do not have writing skills expected of their age and educational level.Nineteen percent of the students have not read a single book during the time they were studying at home during lockdowns.

The survey also found out that 25 percent of the students had studied under teachers who had no training in teaching primary school students.Out of the sample, 13 percent do not partake of one meal while one percent do not consume breakfast nor lunch.

Thirty three percent are now heavily involved in online games due to the access to mobile games.The Assessment was conducted in the years 2021 to 2022 to obtain an understanding of the status of students in terms of literacy and numeracy, at a crucial stage of primary education. This was also done to establish a date for a vital indicator of SDGs, the proportion of children in grade 2 or 3, at the end of primary education and, at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics, by sex.

The Ministry said that the students had lost most of their crucial first year of schooling due to school closures and that this was the first step in establishing a continuous national mechanism to collect data on students‘ performance in literacy and numeracy and an annual national level monitoring and intervention mechanism. It is expected to be followed by national assessments for grades 6 and 8.