“Just Standing Still”: A Qualitative Study on Adolescents’ Experiences of School Closures Due to Emerging COVID-19 in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Fatou N’dure Baboudóttir, Zeca Jandi, Bucar Indjai, Jónína Einarsdóttir and Geir Gunnlaugsson ()
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Fatou N’dure Baboudóttir: Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, IS-102 Reykjavik, Iceland
Zeca Jandi: National Institute for Studies and Research (INEP), Avenida dos Combatentes da Liberdade da Pátria, Complexo Escolar 14 de Novembro, Bissau CP 112, Guinea-Bissau
Bucar Indjai: National Institute for Studies and Research (INEP), Avenida dos Combatentes da Liberdade da Pátria, Complexo Escolar 14 de Novembro, Bissau CP 112, Guinea-Bissau
Jónína Einarsdóttir: Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, IS-102 Reykjavik, Iceland
Geir Gunnlaugsson: Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, IS-102 Reykjavik, Iceland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of children in a myriad of ways across the world. It exposed and aggravated existing inequalities between children within countries and across continents and hampered education. In Guinea-Bissau, school closure was one of the first restrictions implemented to confront the emerging pandemic. The aim was to describe and analyse the experiences of adolescents of school closures in the capital Bissau, their concerns about their future and manifestations of inequality. Data were collected by semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 30 adolescents aged 15–17 years three months into the pandemic during an enforced state of emergency. A thematic analysis identified five themes: appreciation of education, feeling left behind, being stuck in confinement, suggestions for support, and a disrupted future. The results highlight global rather than local inequalities in the demographic, manifested by a lack of targeted educational support for public and private school students; they knew about such efforts elsewhere. The school-attending participants suggested ways to mitigate disruptions in their education, while those out of school aiming to return saw their possibilities fading away. They appreciated education for personal and national benefits, and participants worried about the long-term effects of the pandemic. The study highlighted education loss for all and disrupted future expectations.

Keywords: adolescents; COVID-19; school closures; education in emergencies; digital divide; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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