The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the inequality that already existed between the quality of teaching public and private. In the public sector, the percentage of students aged 6 to 17 who were left without activities during the period in which schools were closed was 4.3 times higher than in the private sector.
Online classes were held in 69.8% of private schools and in only 35% of public schools, points out the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) in Summary of Social Indicators released at the end of 2021.
To study remotely, it would be necessary to combine internet access with computer use, two conditions that are not present in most Brazilian homes. According to ICT Household Survey 2021, in 62% of the 23 million households in the study sample, people responded that they only had a computer, only the internet or neither.
What can be done to start reducing this inequality post-pandemic? In an interview with iFood News, Kelly Baptista, executive director of 1Bi Foundation — a social institution supported by Movile and invested companies, such as iFood — points out three possible paths.
More investment in infrastructure
For Kelly, reducing this inequality begins with greater investment in infrastructure as a whole — such as expanding internet coverage for the poorest population. “We have serious problems to solve before thinking about using technology in the classroom. The democratization of the internet is one of them. How do we solve it? With bills or private investment so that people have internet and can access technology at home”, he explains.
Skeptical about the attention that this issue will receive from governments post-pandemic, she believes that this role should remain in the hands of companies, which have started to adopt practices that generate positive impacts for the society. “ESG initiatives are more focused on the environmental side, but the social aspect also needs to be considered. I can't disassociate business investments in education communities.”
Update of the school curriculum
Another important action in the public network, according to Kelly, is updating what is taught and the way in which knowledge is passed on to students. This means creating a curriculum that, from the earliest years, encourages logical reasoning and spark interest in technology.
“If this is not done, once again people who are in private schools, and have been doing so since the beginning of their lives, will end up taking off, while students in public schools will be left behind”, he adds.
Use of accessible technologies
For Kelly, technology can be used to expand access to knowledge, even in the most vulnerable areas. One solution, she points out, is to use accessible solutions, such as cell phone applications, capable of reaching homes where there is internet, but no computer.
She cites the example of AprendiZAP, a free platform created by the 1Bi Foundation to bring free content to students and teachers via WhatsApp —and which has already benefited more than 557 thousand students, directly or indirectly. “We can reach peripheral, rural and urban areas because WhatsApp is a democratic tool, people can have access”, he states.
According to the 2021 ICT Household Survey, 64% of Brazilians who access the internet browse on their cell phones. The device was even more used to connect in rural areas (83%) and by classes C (67%) and DE (89%).
Regarding AprendiZAP, Kelly states that its use intensified during the pandemic as a school reinforcement tool. “We received reports from students saying that, during the pandemic, it was the only possible way to study because it was what was available,” he says. Accessible technologies like this, in his opinion, can help reduce the inequality between public and private education, but not equalize them. “Having a teacher accompanying you all the time makes a difference. In any case, AprendiZAP reduces this gap because students are able to receive some type of education at home.”
