Phone lessons help children learn during school closures

Researchers in India, Kenya, Nepal, the Philippines, and Uganda tested a way to continue children’s education when schools close due to emergencies.

The study examined how simple mobile phone programs could help primary school students keep learning during disruptions like disease outbreaks or natural disasters. Scientists conducted trials with over 16,000 families, dividing students into groups to compare different levels of remote support.

One group received only text messages with math problems, while another received those texts plus a weekly 20-minute phone call with a tutor. The researchers found that the students who received the phone calls alongside the texts made significantly greater gains in math skills, roughly three times more progress than typical education interventions. The tutors tailored the lessons to each child’s current ability, assessing their knowledge during the call and building from there.

This combined program cost only $11 per child and proved remarkably effective, generating 3.6 years of schooling for every $100 spent. In Uganda and the Philippines, where school closures were lengthy, the phone tutoring helped students recover lost learning and even exceed the progress of students who did not participate. The program worked equally well when delivered by government teachers or aid organizations, suggesting it can be integrated into existing public education systems.

The approach is now being used in Karnataka, India, to support learning both during regular school and when monsoon rains force closures.