Confronting the Challenges Faced by the Beneficiaries of Shadow Education during COVID-19: An Anecdotal Analysis

This qualitative study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shadow education (private supplementary tutoring) in India, focusing on the challenges students face and their adaptation strategies. Shadow education, driven by academic competition and parental aspirations, has become increasingly prevalent in the Indian educational landscape. However, the unprecedented closure of supplementary educational institutions during the pandemic caused significant disruptions in students’ learning trajectories. Through focus group discussions with 267 students from Jammu Province, UT J&K, India, who relied on shadow education during their 11th and 12th grades amid the pandemic, this study investigates three key aspects: the factors driving reliance on shadow education, the challenges in accessing tutoring during COVID-19, and the compensatory strategies adopted by students. The findings reveal that while digital platforms partially filled the void, connectivity constraints, economic barriers, and limited attention spans significantly impacted learning continuity. Students demonstrated remarkable adaptability by employing various coping mechanisms, including self-study, peer learning through WhatsApp groups, and YouTube tutorials. The study contributes to the growing discourse on educational resilience during crises and offers empirically grounded recommendations for strengthening mainstream education to reduce excessive dependence on shadow education systems.