School closures were widely applied in the COVID-19 pandemic as a one way to curb its rapid spread. Data are gradually accumulating on their negative impact on the health and wellbeing of children and young people across the globe. In our recent publication "Just Standing Still”: A Qualitative Study on Adolescents’ Experiences of School Closures Due to Emerging COVID-19 in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, 30 adolescents aged 15–17 years shared their experiences of the policy of school closures three months into the pandemic. A thematic analysis identified five themes: appreciation of education, feeling left behind, being stuck in confinement, suggestions for support, and a disrupted future. The school attending participants suggested ways to mitigate disruptions in their education, while those out of school aiming to return saw their possibilities petering out. Irrespective attendance to public or private school, the study highlighted education loss for all and disrupted future expectations. What is the experience in your country?
Link to publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075265
[*See below citation and abstract added by CHIFA Co-moderator -Edem]
Citation:
Baboudóttir, F.N.D., Jandi, Z., Indjai, B., Einarsdóttir, J. and Gunnlaugsson, G., 2023. “Just Standing Still”: A Qualitative Study on Adolescents’ Experiences of School Closures Due to Emerging COVID-19 in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. IJERPH, 20(7), pp.1-11.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of children in a myriad of ways across the world. It exposed and aggravated existing inequalities between children within countries and across continents and hampered education. In Guinea-Bissau, school closure was one of the first restrictions implemented to confront the emerging pandemic. The aim was to describe and analyse the experiences of adolescents of school closures in the capital Bissau, their concerns about their future and manifestations of inequality. Data were collected by semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 30 adolescents aged 15–17 years three months into the pandemic during an enforced state of emergency. A thematic analysis identified five themes: appreciation of education, feeling left behind, being stuck in confinement, suggestions for support, and a disrupted future. The results highlight global rather than local inequalities in the demographic, manifested by a lack of targeted educational support for public and private school students; they knew about such efforts elsewhere. The school-attending participants suggested ways to mitigate disruptions in their education, while those out of school aiming to return saw their possibilities fading away. They appreciated education for personal and national benefits, and participants worried about the long-term effects of the pandemic. The study highlighted education loss for all and disrupted future expectations.
CHIFA profile: Geir Gunnlaugsson is Professor of Global Health at the University of Iceland. He graduated with a medical diploma (MD) from this university with post-graduate training in paediatrics (PhD) and public health (MPH) at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Research and publications on, e.g., breastfeeding, infant and child mortality, child development and abuse, measles, cholera, and health systems in Iceland, Guinea-Bissau and Malawi. He was the General Secretary of ISSOP International Society for Social Pediatrics and Child Health in 2009-2017, and currently chairman of Africa 20:20 an Icelandic NGO to promote interest and knowledge on sub-Saharan Africa.
