Indonesia - 'Lost generation' looms as NGO testing shows some Bali students fail to make the grade

Children sitting an English exam in Songan, Bali. Nearly two years of distance learning has left children in remote areas all but illiterate. PHOTO: BALI CHILDREN FOUNDATION via The Straits Times/ANN

DENPASAR, BALI, Dec 20 (The Straits Times/ANN): A survey of elementary school students conducted by a children's charity in remote parts of Bali and Lombok has raised fresh worries that 20 months of remote learning has wiped out more than a year of schooling, leaving some children all but illiterate despite years of formal schooling.

The survey, conducted by education non-profit organisation Bali Children Foundation (BCF) and shared with The Straits Times, covered more than 1,300 pupils entering grades two and three.