Philippine Daily Inquirer Digital Edition

MEXICAN GIRL MISSES TEACHER, LESSONS, FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL

MEXICO CITY—Nearly two years after the pandemic first shut her classroom, Mexican schoolgirl Elena Delgado is struggling to avoid falling far behind in her studies—like millions of other children around the world.

Another wave of coronavirus infections gripping Mexico following the emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant have forced the 9-yearold to return to remote learning.

“I really miss spending time with my friends. I also miss the teacher a lot,” she said.

Elena is striving to catch up with what nongovernmental organization the Espinosa Yglesias Study Center says could be between one and three years of lost learning for Mexican students.

It is a global problem—in Brazil, the learning loss for high school students is estimated to be one year, compared with half a school year in Belgium, according to a study published by the center in September.

“When I study online, I fall further behind,” Elena said, surrounded by dolls and toys in her bedroom.

“When I’m in the classroom I can stop and ask the teacher to rewrite what was on the blackboard,” she added.

‘Didn’t learn anything’

The schoolgirl has taken private remedial classes in subjects including math and English, said her mother Elena Cabanas, a 41-year-old lawyer.

Worries about the economic fallout of the pandemic led her parents to remove their daughter from a private school early in the crisis.

She joined the 90 percent of Mexican students between the ages of 3 and 18 who attend free public schools.

“During the whole of the second year at the public school she only had about five virtual classes and didn’t learn anything,” said Cabanas.

Disappointed, the mother decided to put Elena back in private education, but she had her repeat the second grade.

Elena’s mother worries that her daughter struggles with math.

“When I was 9 years old I already knew the multiplication tables from top to bottom,” she said.

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2022-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-26T08:00:00.0000000Z

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Philippine Daily Inquirer