ABSTRACT
Conventional narratives on COVID-19 impact and recovery extensively focused on healthcare support and vaccine supply chains. However, the education sector, especially in Bangladesh, has continually experienced debilitating direct and indirect consequences due to prolonged school closures. The chapter expands on the pandemic's impact on students from marginalized communities according to their gender, level of education, and identity. Furthermore, the chapter delves into how these vulnerable students have coped with school closures, primarily through digital learning, and accessed policy support during the first wave of COVID-19. Findings reflect that females and students in climate-vulnerable areas have disproportionately experienced higher learning disruptions at the primary level, leading to financial hardship and child marriages. In terms of coping, higher-level students were found to be more technologically equipped to cope with virtual schooling but were also the most likely to drop out. Evidence supports that students enrolled in cash support programs were far more likely to remain in schools, given the challenges presented.
