Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted almost all socioeconomic activities, including education, in both the developing and the developed world, numerous studies on the effects of the pandemic on education have been carried out, focusing on local, national, and global levels. However, there are limited studies that compare the effects, government responses, and implications between developing and developed countries. This article offers a comparative analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in Nepal and Japan. Based on the existing literature and publicly available data, COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population have been estimated to be far higher in Japan than in Nepal during most of the waves of COVID-19. However, Nepal faced more challenges than Japan due to the higher level of digital divide, limited resources, and poor IT and education infrastructure, affecting students’ learning outcomes and well-being more adversely. Nepal can learn from Japan, particularly on bridging the digital divide, supporting teacher training, implementing blended learning, and prioritizing student well-being and equity in access. Nepal, Japan, and other countries can benefit from these experiences to build resilient and inclusive education systems that ensure equitable access to quality education for all students during a crisis.