A new phone-based learning assessment targets young children (Nepal)

About

In Nepal, repeated school closures due to COVID-19 have likely led to learning loss especially for children from lower income families, living in rural areas and attending community schools, who often lacked access to alternative learning modalities and resources. Data was necessary to gauge learning levels of students and guide decisions to expedite learning recovery during school closures and reopening, particularly for young children at the foundational stage of learning. UNICEF proposed a phone-based early childhood development assessment—rooted in reports from parents rather than direct evaluation from teachers—to hone in on learning levels of children aged 2 to 4 years.