Close schools and switch to distance learning. The idea resurfaced in Mauritius in a context of global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East. But those who have closely observed the effects of confinement on children are sounding the alarm.
“This solution must be the last resort, until secondary school,” says Mélanie Vigier de Latour-Bérenger, psychosociologist and member of the Konekte management team. The confinement periods of 2020 and 2021 have left deep traces: depressive states, social isolation, stress, anxiety, increased exposure to violence. In Mauritius, they also coincided with an increase in suicidal behavior among minors.
On a pedagogical level, it is categorical: distance learning guarantees neither equity nor efficiency. “Clearly not, according to research.†Vulnerable children are the first to be affected: difficulty concentrating, dropping out of school, reduced performance, developmental delays. For the youngest, the problem is even more fundamental: “In kindergarten, learning also happens through play, which online teaching does not allow. »
For children with disabilities, it is another reality, but just as demanding: they need a framework, structure, daily support. The risks of regression and behavioral disorders, already observed during the pandemic, are documented.
Overexposure to screens is also a concern. “Children who spend too much time in front of screens would be less happy, more anxious and more depressed,” she emphasizes, with measured impacts on language, attention, sleep and behavior.
And there is what school represents beyond the classroom. Some children eat their only meal of the day there. Others, without supervision at home, would find themselves more exposed to risks. “This difficulty in accessing the Internet will also accentuate inequalities between children,” she warns. Closing the schools means closing everything at the same time.
Human process
The educator Ritesh Poliah also points out the concrete limits of such a shift. Countries that have succeeded in implementing effective E-learning have done so after long and structured investments: by adapting educational content, by training teachers and students in digital tools. “Long-term studies are carried out in order to adapt the tools to demand,” he explains. Maurice has not yet accomplished this fundamental work.
He discusses the Mobile Learning project, more advanced than classic E-learning and already operational in Reunion Island, but which comes up against practical obstacles in the Mauritian context. “How do we make this practical on a cell phone? » he asks.
And even for families benefiting from SRM and having a connection, the question of speed remains unresolved. So many questions without a satisfactory answer at this stage. “You have to think carefully before any application, because a child learns differently from an adult. The time of Covid-19 is a real example of this,” he insists.
“Education is fundamentally a human process,” summarizes Mélanie Vigier de Latour-Bérenger. Children learn through interactions, through social connections, fundamental for their development. Cutting that off, even temporarily, has a cost. A cost which, as the experience of the pandemic shows, is paid long after classes reopen.
