Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Report

This report emphasizes Summerfield International School which is one of the renowned English
medium schools in Dhaka city. Interview with a HR representative of Summerfield International
School has been done to know about their condition during Covid 19 pandemic. This report is
mainly descriptive research; the main focuses of this report are the challenges faced by
Summerfield International School during pandemic and also the recent effects to the organization
due to the surging inflation.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Covid 19 cases have reappeared, posing a variety of challenges and opportunities for
organizational activities and with the surging inflation expenses are rising. Schools are also
trying to find new solutions to handle these crises.

1.3 Scope of the studies

General Scope of this report are to find out how does Summerfield International School copes up
with the challenges during this covid 19 period and presently coping up with the surging
inflation.

1.3.2. Other scope of the studies

 To know how the employees worked at that period and are currently working in this period.
 Which safety precaution levels have been taken?
 What are the challenges they faced during the pandemic?
 How employees did their job during the pandemic?
 What steps have been taken?
 What is the current situation of the students?
1.4 Limitations of the studies
 Some financial information was missing as the HR did not want to disclose the income and
expenditure details with the employees.

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 Since the school was off due to Eid vacations, in depth conversation with students and
parents was unavailable.

Chapter 2

Literature Review

All of the country's educational institutions were shut down since March 17,2020.
Unquestionably, the loss of learning possibilities is the Covid-19's most direct and immediate
effect on the education sector. Over 36.0 million children, including 17.0 million in primary
school, are currently out of the classroom. In one of his budget statements to the national
parliament Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal added that Covid-19 has ultimately led to the
end of the conventional academic program for over 40.0 million children nationwide (Uddin,
2020).

For the students who are still in school after the outbreak, the situation will not be any easier.
Overall out-of-pocket spending on schooling will surely decrease due to a drop in income
overall, especially for families from lower-income deciles. Teaching standards may deteriorate
as well. There is a possibility that many pupils will transfer from affordable private schools to
overcrowded public schools. There may be an existential crisis for the low-cost private schools
that cater to lower-middle-class families and operate on thin margins. In addition, the greatest
teachers in schools might leave their positions first if remuneration decreases (Uddin, 2020).

The Covid-19 pandemic-related educational crisis refers to the loss of learning that pupils have
experienced both directly from the protracted closure of schools and indirectly from the
pandemic's effects on the students, their families, and their teachers' health, emotions, and
economic situation. The idea is that when schools are open and functioning regularly, children
advance in their education, and that when schools close, this advancement stops and students fall
behind. It is also considered that mitigating alternatives, particularly in resource-limited
educational institutions in underdeveloped countries, have not considerably made up for the loss
for the majority of pupils (Ahmed, 2022).

When schools reopen, rehabilitation plans should be created for students, teachers, and
institutions while also making plans to focus on fostering resilience. Prior to school reopening, a
sanitization plan should be created. It should also ensure that as many students as possible are

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enrolled in pre-primary and primary levels. Learning loss assessment and recovery lesson plans
should also be developed.

Due to rising inflation, savers are now experiencing losses on their bank accounts, which has put
many of those who rely primarily on interest income in a precarious situation. In August,
Bangladesh's inflation spiked to a 10-year high of 9.52 percent. However, according to figures
from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, it decreased to 9.10 percent in September.

Yet, in August, the weighted average rate of deposits, which is determined by adding the interest
rates for all different kinds of deposits that banks provide, was 4.07 percent. As a result, the real
interest rate was negative that month, at 5.45 percent, due to the 9.52 percent inflation rate. By
subtracting the inflation rate from the interest rate depositors receive from banks, the real interest
rate for depositors is calculated.

The story of worldwide inflation looks to be developing quickly. Inflation appears to have spread
on a global scale. After a brief lull in July-August, the rate of global inflation has risen in the
final three months of 2021. In December, the Eurozone reported a 5.0% annual price increase.
Turkey's current inflation rate is 36%, and the nation is also going through a currency crisis.
However, the inflation rates for other industrialized nations, like the UK (4.6%), Germany
(5.2%), Spain (5.5%), and Canada (4.7%), are also comparable.

Business companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses in the US, are under a
significant deal of stress due to rising input prices, including the cost of labor. Job resignations
are at an all-time high. Many of these departing employees are older than 55 and are taking early
retirement. Many people switch employment frequently. In addition, women make up the bulk of
individuals quitting their occupations. Overall, workplace safety has been a big factor in the
decision to leave the position.

The Federal Reserve should be seriously concerned about the December inflation statistics.
Recently, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell spoke before the Senate Banking Committee
and made it quite obvious that the fundamental issue facing American firms was a labor shortfall
rather than a lack of supply (Mahmood, 2022).

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 Chapter 3

Methodology

Both primary and secondary methods of research have been used. Interviews with few of the
employees and a HR representative from the school has been done. Secondary research has been
done from few websites and publications of students in the school magazine.

Population

All the teachers, students and other employees working at Summerfield International School.

Sample

A group of fifteen teachers from the middle section and few students.

Analysis Methods

Interview has been taken to collect information from the teachers and students.

Data Collection Sources

 Primary Sources

Informal virtual interview with few teachers and students.

 Secondary Sources
Secondary data are collected from websites and publications of students in the school
magazine.

Chapter: 4

Organizational Overview

The Tiny Tots Playgroup was established in 1974 by Ms. Margot Enander and Mrs. Faizi
Chowdhury. Their goal was to offer a loving and caring preschool education. Children were

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given a solid academic and extracurricular foundation as a result of combining a Western
education with their traditional one.

Mission Statement: It is our mission to uphold the traditions and culture instilled in us by our
founders whilst striving to improve ourselves continuously. We pledge to nurture the children
not only for academic excellence but to become well-rounded global citizens able to contribute
positively to society.

Curriculum: The kids used Summerfield as a stepping stone on the way to success. Their first O
level candidate received commendations in 2006 after achieving 100% A grades.

They are currently registered with a number of boards, including Pearson Edexcel and
Cambridge International Examination (CIE). At their own exam site, their students are taking the
IGCSE (O level) and IAL (A level) exams.

High-quality instruction is available from preschool through A level at Tiny Tots/Summerfield.

Their students normally enroll when they are between the ages of two and three and graduate
when they are eighteen. Their qualified teachers have backgrounds in Edexcel and Cambridge,
and they receive ongoing training from the British Council in Dhaka.

Faculty: A variety of exciting and successful new teachers with a passion for teaching and the
ability to connect with and engage the kids' minds with demanding subject-based activities make
up Summerfield's faculty of highly qualified educators with decades of combined expertise.

To guarantee unwavering quality, Cambridge and Edexcel International educators regularly train
and update their faculty members. They recognize that there is no end to the pursuit of
excellence, which is why all of their faculty members, regardless of prior accomplishments or
experience, continually work to develop new skills in the classroom so they may continue to
educate their students as effectively as possible.

Facilities provided by Summerfield International School:

1. British Council Examinations Centre: Now that Tiny Tots/Summerfield is a British Council
Examinations Center, their kids can take all official board exams conveniently on the school
grounds. This removes the trouble of switching locations between exams and the possibility
of unintentionally going to the wrong exam location.

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2. Future Study Prospects: Their students can pursue some of the finest colleges in the globe in
well-known education destinations like the USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Malaysia,
Japan, Europe, and the UK with the aid of a high school guidance counselor. This is made
possible by their comprehensive educational approach, which includes excellent A-Level
results and highly beneficial extracurricular activities, as well as by their knowledgeable
professionals who expertly mentor their students as they transition from high school students
to university students.
3. Internship Opportunities: Summerfield has always understood the benefits of internship
opportunities during the summer and winter breaks, which their senior students frequently
take advantage of to strengthen their individual resumes. After graduating from college,
students who have stronger resumes will be more likely than their peers to land respectable
professions or appointments. They may also grow up to be more responsible individuals who
value hard work. They recognize any internship or employment experience a student may
have, and upon meeting specific requirements, they award diplomas to their students attesting
to these experiences.
4.  Indoor Game Facilities: For the sake of the students' mental health, the school offers a
variety of indoor games such table tennis, chess, taboo, Sudoku, and several more that
stimulate cognition.
5. Outdoor Sports: The legacy of a school is shaped by a variety of factors, including its
academic program, campus climate, and athletic achievements. They make sure that their
children receive the greatest education possible while also acknowledging and meeting their
rising need for outdoor activities. Their school’s football and basketball teams receive a lot of
support, and they have won a number of prestigious awards at tough competitions.
6. Wellbeing Counselor: The health and wellbeing of their students are just as important to us
as their academic performance. They are aware that students undergo a number of physical
and psychological changes during these formative years. Their school offers a dedicated
wellbeing counselor who is a licensed clinical psychologist that students can speak with and
confide in. Before dealing with problems with any student, they consider all of these
elements, as mental health is equally as essential as physical health.

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 Chapter 5

Analysis and Findings

Due to the pandemic the government ordered the schools to remain closed from March 17, 2020.
Summerfield International School also had to remain close. However, it was just before the final
term examinations. The students were missing out on major topics and it was a big challenge for
Summerfield. They could not let the students suffer.

After a month as online classes were starting in the developed countries like the US, their
principal also thought of using the same technique. The teachers went through a training period
of two weeks and from May 2, 2020 online classes commenced.

Overheads costs were reduced like rent, but however they still had to pay rent for their premises
and the salary of all the employees. On the other hand, many organizations only paid 50% of the
salaries. Thus, it was very hard for the parents to pay the school fees. Overall, the expenditures
were still there whereas the income level had gone down. However, the principal paid 100% of
the salary to all the employees using the retained earnings of the organization and the little
income that came from a few parents who paid the fees regularly.

Even though the salaries were not reduced, the responsibilities of each teacher surely increased.
One teacher had to take multiple classes of multiple subjects each day. Many teachers suffered
from migraine problems and some even had eye problems due to looking at the screen for long
hours.

Checking the copies and exam scripts was even harder. Students sent very blurry or irrelevant
pictures which had very bad handwriting and the teachers could not figure out what was written.
The students also sometimes sent the email to a wrong email address and thus their works
remained unchecked. The level of plagiarism also increased significantly, especially in
mathematical courses due the which the students are still suffering.

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A study found that about 50% of students in the fifth grade are still lagging behind due to the
Covid-19 closures. Many of them have forgotten their previous studies in Bangla, Math, English
and Bangladesh studies. They fall behind in math by 78.27%, English by 31.09%, and Bangla by
35.59%.

In the second grade, 31.82% of children are behind in English, 42.72% in Bangla, and 41.61% in
arithmetic. In the third grade, 35.28% of students struggle with English, 39.71% struggle with
arithmetic, 48.84% struggle with science, and 34.98% struggle with Bangladesh and global
studies. In the fourth grade, 43.73% of pupils fall behind in Bangla, 48.56% fall behind in
English, 38.78% fall behind in arithmetic, 36.34% fall behind in science, and 43.14% fall behind
in Bangladesh and global studies. In the fifth grade, 33.35% of students fall behind in Bangla,
47.68% fall behind in English, 42.92% fall behind in arithmetic, 3.92% fall behind in science,
and 39.70% fall behind in Bangladesh and Global Studies. In the sixth grade, students are mostly
suffering in mathematics as they have forgotten all the previous studies.

Inflation is another blow to the education sector. In a poll conducted by the World Food Program
(WFP) in Bangladesh and released on October 14 it was discovered that 88% of the respondents
had experienced distress over the previous six months as a result of rising costs for necessities,
including food. Nasima Akhter, a garment worker in Savar, and her two kids, who attend school,
used to make Tk 14,000 a month to support themselves. But since then, the cost of
transportation, her children's education, and basic necessities has increased by Tk 3,000, leaving
a huge gap in her monthly budget. She reduced her consumption of food and her sporadic
weekend outings with her kids. The relative comfort she had experienced had been replaced by a
continual worry about costs.

A 200-page notebook that cost Tk 40 four months ago now costs Tk 50, a Tk 5 pencil is now
priced at Tk 7, and a Tk 65 geometry box is now offered for Tk 125, according to the proprietor
of a school supply business in Dhaka's Nilkhet neighborhood. The price of photocopies has
increased by 20%.

It's not just school supplies, of course. The cost of snacks, transportation to school, and the
nearly required private tutoring has matched or exceeded the rate of inflation. Likewise
Summerfield International School has increased the tuition fees and the parents are again
suffering. Many parents are unable to pay the tuition fees and thus the income level is going

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down. Many students are also transferring schools due to the increased tuition fees. The
organization is thus unable to give increment to the existing employees or employ new ones.

Chapter 6

Recommendations

To overcome from the above problems the following recommendations can be suggested:

1. Increasing school nutrition programs and allocating financial and other resources to the
recovery plan in order to entice pupils to return. Giving discounts on tuition fees will stop the
students from changing schools.
2. The weak students should be kept in a complete separate section and a different curriculum
should be designed for them.
3. Establishing collaborations between the government, NGOs, and civil society to develop a
social contract for improving education.
4. Even after learning remediation has been finished, school-based assessment systems should
be used to find future kids who have learning deficiencies.

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 Reference

(No date) Annual primary schoolcensus - 2015 - dpe.portal.gov.bd. Available at:

https://dpe.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/dpe.portal.gov.bd/publications/
f2501e16_4f57_467b_8c67_48a5855f88fe/Final%20Draft%20APSC2015.pdf (Accessed:
09 July 2023).

Ahmed, M. (2022a) Inflation is yet another blow to education recovery, The Daily Star.
Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/inflation-yet-another-blow-
education-recovery-3159061 (Accessed: 09 July 2023).

Ahmed, M. (2022b) Learning loss from covid-19: Can a generational threat be averted?, The
Daily Star. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/recovering-covid-reinventing-our-
future/blueprint-brighter-tomorrow/news/learning-loss-covid-19-2960811 (Accessed: 09
July 2023).

At a glance (no date) :: Summerfield International School :: Available at:

https://www.summerfield-school.com/glance.php (Accessed: 09 July 2023).

Mahmood, M. (2022) Inflation surge and rising income inequality, The Financial Express.
Available at: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/analysis/inflation-surge-and-rising-
income-inequality-1642862758 (Accessed: 09 July 2023).

School students still struggling to cope with Covid learning losses (2023) Dhaka Tribune -
Current & Breaking News Bangladesh & World. Available at:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2023/05/17/school-students-still-struggling-to-
cope-with-covid-learning-losses (Accessed: 09 July 2023).

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Uddin, M. (2020) Effects of the pandemic on the education sector in Bangladesh, The Financial
Express. Available at: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/analysis/effects-of-the-
pandemic-on-the-education-sector-in-bangladesh-1592061447 (Accessed: 09 July 2023).

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