Shadow Education and Online Learning in Pre- and Post- Pandemic Contexts: Experiences of Parents in a Resettlement Colony of Delhi

Abstract

This study seeks to understand the educational experiences of parents from marginalised
and vulnerable communities, within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a
resettlement colony in Delhi. The study examines shifts in shadow education in preand
post-pandemic times, how marginalised families in a Delhi resettlement navigated
school closures and online learning, and how these shifts reinforced exclusion and
privilege based on parental ability to support children’s education. This qualitative
study used purposive sampling to select 46 parents (15 fathers, 31 mothers) to provide
insights on availing private tuitions for children. It is observed that despite the adoption
of online mode of learning during the pandemic and its subtle normalisation in the postpandemic
period, parents from the marginalised backgrounds seems to be compelled
to turn to relatively affordable [in-person] private tutoring services to address the
learning loss experienced by their children due to the school closures. Pandemic-related
school closures have further accelerated the proliferation of shadow education in Delhi,
embedding it more firmly within the post-pandemic educational order as families at the
margins increasingly seek supplementary academic support to bridge the learning gaps
children suffer.