A study by the University of Barcelona (UB) has determined that during the 2020-2021 academic year, within the framework of the covid pandemic, the risk of closing public schools due to the confinement of class groups was higher in the districts more Poor Barcelona.
The researchers counted, by district, the number of boys and girls isolated or in quarantine and also the days that each boy or girl stayed at home due to the confinement of their class. Later, they crossed this information with the average income of each district.
The results showed a "sustained and significant" upward trend in the risk of closing classrooms in the districts with the lowest average income, to the point that the probability in Ciutat Vella, the most disadvantaged district, was six times higher to that of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the richest. "In this way, boys and girls from areas below the average annual income of the city presented a greater risk of being confined to their classrooms," explained one of the authors of the study, Carles Pericas.
The researchers note that "the pandemic also acts as a catalyst for all previously existing inequalities and magnifies the synergies between them." Given these results, those responsible for the study point to the need to take these socioeconomic disparities into account when designing public policies against future pandemics or other similar health crises.
For example, the study suggests that, if similar situations occur, access to complementary services offered by schools should be guaranteed and equity in access to telematic teaching should also be achieved. “The initial change to exclusively online modalities during the start of the pandemic has put on the table inequalities in access to new technologies and has led to an educational loss for students from low-income families,” they explained.
The researchers also underscored the need to promote public health literacy, to "improve appropriate health decision-making, which could help reduce the risk of spreading infections and increase understanding of and adherence to prevention measures." of diseases”.
