The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to society as a whole, but it clearly did not affect everyone equally. In the case of education workers, the majority of whom are women, the complexities of the “new normal” were compounded by an increased workload both in their jobs and at home, the financial burden of adapting to the new work modality, frozen salaries, and the postponement of the June half-year bonus. In many cases, this situation was further aggravated by the risk of exposure to infection for those who had to leave their homes to assist students in need, without even receiving government recognition for this essential task.
The data on this issue is striking. Looking at connectivity conditions and the use of ICTs, we find that at the beginning of the Preventive and Mandatory Social Isolation (ASPO), 29% of teachers did not own a computer, and another 17% had a computer but had to share it with limited availability. Additionally, around 45% did not use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for educational tasks, while 23% of students attending educational institutions also did not use them for this purpose. Furthermore, 59% of teachers reported not having an adequate internet connection, either through Wi-Fi or mobile data, a percentage that rises to 75% in rural areas and 77% in low-income neighborhoods or settlements.
Regarding the increased workload, more than 80% of education workers reported working more hours than before ASPO. This aligns with the difficulties they had to face in adapting to the new virtual teaching modality, as 78% of teachers had little to no training in carrying out the educational process in this format.
Finally, but no less importantly, the costs of connectivity fell directly on teachers’ already diminished incomes due to inflation. Internet installation and service accounted for between 21% and 24% of their salary. At the same time, computer prices increased by 140% in the last six months, requiring more than a month and a half’s salary to purchase even the most basic models on the market.