The study looked at 400 students in 57 countries and highlighted “the negative impact of the pandemic”, with “nearly half of students enrolled in schools where regular classes have been suspended for eight weeks or more at the time of closures and precautionary measures”.
According to the study, this led to a drop in reading levels in about 21 of 32 countries with comparable data between 2016 and 2021, and in contrast, only eight of 32 countries whose students maintained their reading levels.
The majority of EU countries saw a significant drop in reading levels, with an average drop of eleven points compared to 2016.
On the other hand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia obtained the best scores.
Girls also performed better than boys in all countries surveyed except Spain and the Czech Republic.
In this context, former university professor and educational consultant Dr. Abdulaziz Abul said:
We must carry out the same studies in the Arab countries. Delays in general developmental status of children due to disruptions associated with COVID-19. Mental health has been badly affected so we need to focus on rebuilding it with the children. Our transition to digital life after Covid, and it has weakened writing and reading skills.
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