హెల్త్ ఎడ్యుకేషన్ రీసెర్చ్ & డెవలప్‌మెంట్ జర్నల్

In Brazil, the National High School Examination (ENEM) serves as the primary assessment tool for students in their final year of high school. It is used for admission to higher education institutions, both public and private, as well as federally funded Brazilian government institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2022 caused significant disruptions to basic education, prompting reforms in the educational model, transitioning from in-person to remote (online) learning environments. This study aims to identify the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the state of Pará, located in the Amazon region of Brazil. To achieve this, we analyzed microdata from the ENEM editions between 2019 and 2022 to understand pre-pandemic trends and assess the impact of COVID-19 on student performance. The research findings reveal a correlation between family per capita income and participation in the ENEM among public school students, with a higher proportion of students from lower-income families not participating in the exam. Additionally, the absenteeism rate surpassed 100% compared to the previous year. Another noteworthy observation pertains to the education level of the responsible family member, indicating that higher levels of education correlate with better student performance.