When schools close, inequality widens

Whenever something happens in Punjab, the government’s first response is to close educational institutions. In a province with the highest number of out-of-school children in the country, and where students are already lagging in learning, the disregard for education is shocking.

Shifting classes online as a response to smog might seem like a win-win situation, but it is a deeply exclusionary policy, which considers neither the well-being nor education of the majority of students both inside and outside the classroom.

In response to Punjab’s severe smog problem, the provincial government recently announced the temporary closure of schools, transitioning instead to online education. The decision was earlier made for schools in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala but the orders for school closure were later extended to five more districts of Punjab, including DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi Divisions.

The policy ostensibly seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of smog, which causes respiratory problems and other health issues, especially for vulnerable groups like children. However, in reality, this approach is both flawed and exclusionary, overlooking the unique circumstances of children from low- and middle-income families and failing to account for the inequities it perpetuates. While the intention of the policy may be protective, its actual impact disproportionately harms the students it aims to safeguard, particularly those already on the margins.

If the government’s chief concern is the well-being of children, then this policy’s blind spot toward out-of-school children is glaring. Out of the 25.3 million out-of-school children, around 12 million are in Punjab. These children – who are already denied a basic right to education – are left entirely out of this well-being equation. They, too, face the smog each day without the luxury of staying indoors in insulated homes.

While school closures might offer some protection to students who can stay home, it does nothing for these children who continue to roam the streets or labour outdoors, vulnerable to the same respiratory risks as their peers in school. Without a policy addressing the conditions for all children, regardless of school enrollment, the government’s approach remains incomplete and shortsighted.

One of the most problematic assumptions underpinning this policy is that children will stay indoors when schools are closed. This perspective fails to consider the socioeconomic realities of many families, particularly those not from affluent backgrounds. Many parents, especially those in dual-income households, do not have the privilege of staying home to supervise children. For most of these families, professional childcare is a luxury they cannot afford. As a result, children – left on their own – are more likely to spend time outside, playing in the same polluted air the government hopes to protect them from.

Even at home, many children from low-income families live in cramped spaces, often shared with extended family members. Expecting them to stay indoors within confined quarters, sometimes with poor ventilation, is unrealistic. The idea that children across socioeconomic backgrounds have the same ability to ‘stay safe indoors’ reflects an elitist viewpoint that fails to consider the physical and economic limitations faced by the majority.

The government’s decision to ‘shift online’ rather than entirely halt classes reveals an alarming disconnect from the actual educational landscape in Punjab. Pakistan’s education system already grapples with a significant learning crisis, with many children years behind their expected learning levels. Schools have been closed for various reasons – ranging from political events to environmental hazards – without regard for the cumulative learning loss these disruptions create.

A 2024 World Bank report already found that 8 out of every 10 children in Pakistan cannot understand a basic short text by the age of ten. By failing to maintain educational continuity, the government worsens this crisis, by adding another layer of inequality. Research has proved that keeping students for longer time or more days in school has a positive impact on their learning outcomes.

Moreover, the reality of ‘online education’ as a solution highlights stark inequities within the system. While elite private schools in Pakistan may have the infrastructure and trained teachers to transition smoothly to platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, this is not the case for most public schools and low-fee private institutions.

As per a 2024 World Bank report, 42.4 per cent of students attend private schools. We have a misconception that private school automatically means an elite institution with state-of-the-art infrastructure and high fees, but a majority of private schools are low-fee schools, which neither have the infrastructure nor the teaching capacity to support online classes.

I run Qadam Community School, which provides free education to around 250 students from low-resource families in Green Town, Lahore. Both during Covid and the current school closure we have not been able to shift to online classes, because of severe capacity issues with the students. Students from lower-income families are less likely to have access to devices, stable internet connections, or quiet spaces conducive to learning at home. For these students, ‘online learning’ is merely a theoretical construct rather than a feasible alternative. There has practically been no learning for students for the last two weeks.

This policy, although seemingly universal, disproportionately impacts students from low-income families. Unlike their wealthier counterparts, these students lack access to the digital tools and home environments necessary for effective online learning. Furthermore, the assumption that parents or older siblings can provide learning support at home fails to consider that many families rely on all able family members to work. The added expectation that these family members can simultaneously serve as academic guides is unrealistic and unfairly places an additional burden on households that are already stretched thin.

In the absence of targeted support measures – such as subsidies for internet access, digital devices, and support for low-income students – the policy creates an education gap that will be difficult to bridge once students return to school.

The public discourse and policy discussions surrounding school closures are overwhelmingly dominated by high-income families, who can more easily adapt to these abrupt changes. These are the voices that dominate social media, news discussions, and government advisory boards. As a result, the government’s policies appear to cater to this small segment of the population rather than address the broader, more diverse realities faced by the majority of children and families.

For school closure policies to genuinely protect the well-being of all children, they need to reflect the real lives of children and families across socioeconomic divides. This means acknowledging the vast number of out-of-school children who face the same risks from smog and pollution, investing in accessible and effective digital learning solutions, and providing resources for low-income families who cannot simply ‘keep children indoors’ or guide them through online learning.

If children’s health is indeed the priority, why hasn’t the government introduced measures to combat the root cause of the smog problem, such as stricter emission controls, better traffic management, and an expansion of green spaces in urban areas? If education continuity is valued, why hasn’t there been a nationwide investment in digital infrastructure to support online learning for all students? Why not allocate funds to low-income families to secure internet access and devices? Addressing these issues requires genuine investment and commitment, not temporary fixes that push the problem down the road.

Punjab’s current approach to school closures due to smog may seem like an act of compassion, but it leaves the vast majority of children underserved and unprotected. True well-being and educational equality will require policies that recognise and address the socioeconomic divides that shape every aspect of children’s lives.

For now, this policy remains a short-term fix that ultimately neglects those who need support the most, leaving already vulnerable children further behind in their education and exposed to the very risks it claims to mitigate.

The writer is a teaching fellow at the School of Education, LUMS and patron of the Qadam Community School. He tweets/posts @lahoremarquez