This book examines the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling, teaching and learning across India. Drawing on empirical studies, policy analyses, and firsthand accounts, the book examines how school closures, emergency remote learning, and constrained resources affected equity, inclusion, and student engagement—with a particular focus on girls and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Contributors analyse shifts in decentralised planning, local governance, teacher practice and community responses, and offer evidence-based strategies for rebuilding resilient, inclusive education systems. Positioned for researchers, policymakers, and senior practitioners, the volume focuses on theory and practice by articulating pathways to restore learning, strengthen institutional capacities, and reform schooling to support sustained student engagement. With reference to NEP 2020, it also blends interdisciplinary and social justice perspectives to chart a roadmap for post-pandemic education renewal.
Prof. Madhumita Bandyopadhyay, Head, SNFE at NIEPA, holds a PhD in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. With extensive experience in the field of education, she has published widely, leads researches, conducts training programmes for educational administrators, collaborates internationally, and serves as ANTRIEP’s focal point in partnership with IIEP Paris.
Dr. Vaishali is an Academic Consultant (Education) in CIET, NCERT, New Delhi. She has been in the field of Education for the past fifteen years, including working on numerous national-level studies at NIEPA concerning school education, gender, and inclusion, and subsequently teaching at the University of Delhi.
Dr. Nassif Muhammed Ali is Managing Editor of Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society. After earning his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, in 2021, he worked on several NIEPA projects under the Department of School and Non-formal Education
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
1. Education and Development in India 01
School Participation and Learning Outcomes at the Elementary Level
MADHUMITA BANDYOPADHYAY
Introduction/01; An Overview, Policy Initiatives/02; Status of Enrolled and Never-Enrolled/03; Student Attendance in School/05; Learning Outcome/08; Dropout Phenomena/13; Implementation of National Education Policy 2020 (NEP, 2020): As a Way Forward/21; Conclusion and Recommendation/21
2. Pandemic's Impact on Children's Lives and Education: The Unprecedented Crisis/ 22
ANUPAM GUPTA
Background/23; Mental and Emotional Well-being/24; Physical Health and Development/25; Socio Economic Impact/26; Misinformation and Scientific Temperament/26; Disruption in Schooling/27; Academic Progress and Learning Gaps/32; E-Learning and Infrastructure and e-content/34; E-Learning/36; Efforts to activate the digital platform as a vital instrument for learning/36; Way Forward/36; Conclusion/38
3. Meeting the Challenges of Covid Pandemic: Initiatives by Different States - A Webinar Report/ 42
ANUPAM GUPTA, ALKA SHAH, PARVEEN, RAUNAK, POOJA RANA
Introduction/42; Addressing Challenges with Innovations/50; Webinar: Initiating a Dialogue/52; Healthcare Impact of Covid-19 Epidemic in India/54; Haryana/55; Karnataka/56; Madhya Pradesh/57; Odisha/57; Jammu & Kashmir/58; Kerala/58; Gujarat/58; Assam/58; Uttar Pradesh/59; Himachal Pradesh/59; Mizoram/59; Andhra Pradesh/59; Chhattisgarh/59; Bihar/59; Tamil Nadu/61; Emerging Issues and the Way Forward/61; Challenges after reopening schools and educational institutions/62; Conclusion/63;
4. Psychosocial Impact on Children during Covid-19/ 66
NEHA VAKIL AGGARWAL
Children and their Routines/66; Children and Education/67; Children and their Environment/68; Conclusion: The Way Ahead/71
5. Pre-Primary Schooling During Covid-19 Pandemic: Access, Affordability and Quality/ 74
SAVITA KAUSHAL
Digital Initiatives in Pre-Primary Education/74; Efforts by Schools/75; Impact of Gap in Access/76; Methodology/77; Major Findings, Parents’ Perspective/79; Social Turmoil, Mental, and Physical Health Issues/79; Some Contrasting Opinions/80; Experiences of Teachers/81; Teachers’ Challenges/82; Conclusion/87; Recommendations/98; The Way Forward—NEP 2020: Bridging Education Gap with Technology/88
6. Impact of Covid-19 on Schooling of Poor Children: with a Special Focus on Migrants/ 92
MEENAKSHI KHANDARI
Status of Migrants in India: A Brief Overview/92; Life/Livelihood of Migrants Threatened by Covid-19 Pandemic/94; Impact of Covid-19 on Education of Children from Migrant Families/97; Future Challenges for Migrants and their Children/99
7. Pandemic, School Education and Social Justice: Disadvantaged Migrant Learners - A Study/ 104
LABONI DAS
Impact of Covid-19 on Schooling/105; Basic Issues/107; Area of Study/108; Methods of Study/108; Major Observations/110; Conclusion and Policy Considerations/113
8. Educating Children with Special Needs during Pandemic: Opportunities and Challenges in the light of the NEP 2020/ 117
DEEPINDER SEKHON & KHUSHBU SINGH
Policies and Programmes for Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in India/117; Research Methodology/119; Guidelines issued by NCERT for Educating CWSN during the Pandemic/119; Case Studies, Specific Learning Disability/123; Intellectual Disability/126; Hearing Impairment/127; Cerebral Palsy/128; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)/128; Post-Covid Initiatives/131; Conclusion/131
9. Impact of Covid-19 on Educational Aspirations of Learners in Haryana: –A Case Study/ 135
VAISHALI, NASSIF MUHAMMED ALI & MEENAKSHI KHANDARI
Background/135; Review of Literature/136; Methodology/138; Being in the field/138; Some of the observations drawn from students and parent interviews/139; Policy Perspective on ‘Digital Divide’/143; Discussion/143
10. School Closures in Haryana during Covid-19: A Way Backwards for Marginalised Learners/ 146
VAISHALI
Educational Status of Haryana/147; State Initiatives/149; Researched Landscape/150; Methodology/151; What does the learner have to say? /151; What parents had to say? /153; Policy Perspective/154; Discussion and Concluding Remarks/154
11. Teaching-Learning Process in the Times of Online Education: Empirical Evidence from Delhi Schools/158
ANJALI SUREHATIA
Research Methodology/158; Education in the Time of Covid-19, Digital Learning or Digital Divide/159; Teachers: Challenges and Problems/162; Stepping Inside the Schools, Question of Access/163; Teachers Role and Duty: Above and Beyond the Classrooms /166; Post Covid Initiatives/169; Conclusion and Discussion/170
12. Addressing the Learning Needs During and Post Covid-19 Period: A Case Study of Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram/ 173
SOUVIK MUKHERJEE, SAMYAK SURANA & ISHAAN JAIN
Research Design/174; Data Collection and Analysis/175; Analysis/176; Challenges and Impact of Covid-19 on Students of Shiv Nadar School/181; School Initiatives Post Covid-19 and National Education Policy 2020/183; Conclusion/184
13. Private Supplementary Tutoring at Higher- Secondary Level: An Exploratory Study of Delhi Region/187
HARSHITA SHARMA
Defining Private Supplementary Tutoring/188; Research Methodology/190; Impact of Private Supplementary Tutoring on the Academic Achievement of Students/199; Emergence of the New Tutoring Markets during the pandemic/200; Conclusion/204
14. Experiencing Pandemic: Unheard Voices of the Delhi Private Tutors/ 207
AISHWARYA SHARMA
Methodology and Approach/208; Analysis and Findings, Pedagogical Knowledge and Practices/212; Learning Environment/215; Challenges Faced/216; Post-Covid Lockdown Period –Early 2022/218; Discussion and Conclusions/218
15. Mid-day Meal Scheme during Covid-19 in West Bengal Schools: An Overview/222
MOUSUMI BORAL
Introduction/222; Methodology/224; Result and Discussion/225; Effect of COVID-19 on MDM Scheme/227; Significance of the MDM Programme during the COVID-19 Situation/228; Extent of the MDM Scheme to fulfil its Objective Despite Pandemic Situation/231; Recommendations/232; Conclusion/233
16. Rethinking Access to Education in Pandemic: Tribal Children in Manipur/ 238
DALSIE GANGMEI
Digital non-viability/239; Ebbing Away from E-Learning/242; Predictable Future/244; Conclusion/245
17. Addressing Children’s Educational and Nutritional Needs in North Eastern States: Policies and Practices/ 248
MUHAMMED SAHAL & AFRA PARWEEN
Nutrition and Education/249; NEP 2020 -- Nutrition and Health: Integral Components/250; North Eastern States Context/250; Policies and Practices/252; Arunachal Pradesh/252; Sikkim/253; Tripura/253; Manipur/254; Nagaland/254; Mizoram/254; Meghalaya/255; Conclusion and Way Forward/256
18. School Education during Pandemic through the Lens of NEP 2020/259
KUMARI PALLAWI
Method of the Study/260; Observations and Discussion/261; Conclusion/269
Editors and Contributors 271