Students worry about their life after pandemic, report says

ISTANBUL

Nearly half of Turkish students have difficulty focusing on online classes, while a significant part of them have started to worry about their future during the pandemic, according to a COVID-19 impact report.

A study prepared by the Tüvana Education Foundation for Children Willing to Study (TOÇEV) revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the education system in Turkey.

According to the research, only 51 percent of primary school students can participate in online education, while 47.5 percent stated that they have difficulty focusing on online classes.

Some 57.1 percent of the students participating in the study stated that not knowing when the distance education learning will end negatively affected their education life, while 55.1 percent of the participants said that they started to worry about their future during the pandemic.

The distance education process has also caused health problems in students, the report said.

All students participating in the research stated that they experienced pain in the waist and neck areas as well as started to experience problems in their eyes during the pandemic.

In the results of the research, it was noted that there were changes in the nutrition and sleep patterns of the students and that they moved less compared to before the COVID-19 period.

[HH] Impact of pandemic on adults

According to the research, especially the adult group stated that they felt the physiological effects of the pandemic more, with fatigue being one of the effects.

Nearly 90 percent of adult participants stated that they and their beloved ones are worried about the thought of infecting COVID-19.

Some 80 percent of them stated that they needed social support more.

Around 47 percent of the participants who continue their primary education said that they would experience anxiety about being involved in social life after the pandemic.

Including the economic effects of the pandemic, the report noted that 82.4 percent of adult participants had difficulty meeting the needs of their families during the pandemic.

More than half of the adult participants stated that their family relations were adversely affected due to the financial difficulties they experienced, while 52.1 percent of them said that their level of welfare decreased.

While almost all of the adults need an additional source of financial income during the pandemic process, two-thirds of them have difficulty meeting their children’s online education needs.