Phone-based tutoring dramatically boosts learning during school closures in five nations

Across five low-income settings, researchers ran large-scale randomized controlled trials to test remote instruction for primary pupils during pandemic-induced school shutdowns. Participants receiving weekly 20-minute phone-call tutorials plus supplemental SMS content achieved a pooled learning gain of 0.321 standard deviations, far exceeding the modest 0.078-standard-deviation effect of SMS alone. Both government teachers and NGO instructors delivered comparable improvements, demonstrating scalability within public systems.

At an average cost of US$11 per child, the approach yields roughly four years of quality schooling per $100, making it highly cost-effective. High take-up rates (70-80% weekly) and improved targeting of instruction over successive trials drove larger impacts in Uganda and the Philippines, where disruptions were most severe. The findings provide concrete evidence that mobile-phone tutoring can maintain and even accelerate learning during emergencies, offering a practical tool for policymakers worldwide.