The Academic Impacts of 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Secondary Schools in Sindhupalchok District

Abstract

How do natural disasters affect academic performance? Despite numerous studies having been conducted after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the academic impacts of this tragic event have rarely been explored. Applying the OLS estimation on the microdata collected through a questionnaire survey among 189 secondary school students of two secondary schools in one of the hardest-hit rural villages, we found that students’ average annual test scores dropped by 7% after the earthquake. Human losses measured by the incidence of death or injury and economic losses proxied by the level of house damage in a respondent’s family were found to be significant in the decline in the annual test scores of the respondents. Because secondary schools are usually not very close for most of the students in rural mountainous communities, we controlled for time taken to reach school, which was also found to significantly increase the magnitude of the drop in the test score. However, students’ level of happiness measured using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and the mother’s level of education were found to be significant in reducing the magnitude of the drop in the test score of students. The findings suggest more support is needed for students who faced higher levels of human and economic loss in their family.

Assessment of Students’ Earthquake Risk Perception on Their Metacognition in Weija-gbawe Municipality, Ghana.

“…Uncontrollable and exposure signi cantly affected Royal SHS students' meta-concentration. This is in conformity with) [30]. who revealed that students thinking that hazards are uncontrollable, they get feared, and their thoughts about the possible disaster occurrence increase.…”

“…The effects of mental trauma on students after the occurrence of an earthquake could worsen their academic performance [3]. When the students think that hazards are uncontrollable, they get feared, and their thoughts about the possible disaster occurrence increase [30], this can impair their metacognition abilities. Anxiety disorders are fears that may, in some cases, be directly caused by a traumatic event, but they do not necessarily have to be associated with an experience of the hazard which can impair students' ability to concentrate in class [31].…”

The Position and Importance of Earthquake Education in the World

“…People in Nepal experienced many devastating earthquakes. Furthermore, scientists warn people living in this area about the possibility of another large earthquake occurring in the near future (Goda et al, 2015;Sapkota & Neupane, 2021). However, none of the earthquake-related topics is part of the school curriculum.…”

Progress after the 2015 Nepal Earthquake: Evidence from Two Household Surveys in One of the Hardest-Hit Mountain Villages

“…Subjective well-being and happiness are interchangeably used terms, and this study has used the OHQ to assess the subjective well-being of the respondents. The OHQ is used widely in various settings, such as rural and urban areas and developing and developed countries [44][45][46][47]. As the survey was conducted in the Nepali language, the OHQ was translated into Nepali, which might have caused some discrepancies in the meaning of the statements.…”