When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability and a happy life. The pandemic changed his mind. A year after high school, Hart is directing a youth theater program in Jackson, Tennessee. He got into every college he applied to but turned them all down. Cost was a big factor, but a year of remote learning also gave him the time and confidence to forge his own path. “There were a lot of us with the pandemic, we kind of had a do-it-yourself kind of attitude of like, ‘Oh — I can figure this out,’” he said. “Why do I want to put in all the money to get a piece of paper that really isn’t going to help with what I’m doing right now?” Hart is among hundreds of thousands of young people who came of age during the pandemic but didn’t go to college. Many have turned to hourly jobs or careers that don’t require a degree, while others have been deterred by high tuition and the prospect of student debt. What first looked like a pandemic blip has turned into a crisis. Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines even after returning to in-person classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. The slide in the college-going rate since 2018 is the steepest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists say the impact could be dire. At worst, it could signal a new generation with little faith in the value of a college degree. At minimum, it appears those who passed on college during the pandemic are opting out for good. Predictions that they would enroll after a year or two haven’t borne out. Fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields from health care to information technology. For those who forgo college, it usually means lower lifetime earnings — 75% less compared with those who get bachelor’s degrees, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. And when the economy sours, those without degrees are more likely to lose jobs. “It’s quite a dangerous proposition for the strength of our national economy,” said Zack Mabel, a Georgetown researcher. In dozens of interviews with The Associated Press, educators, researchers and students described a generation jaded by education institutions. Largely left on their own amid remote learning, many took part-time jobs. Some felt they weren’t learning anything, and the idea of four more years of school, or even two, held little appeal. At the same time, the nation's student debt has soared. The issue has loomed large in the minds of young Americans as President Joe Biden pushes to cancel huge swaths of debt, an effort the Supreme Court appears poised to block. As a kid, Hart dreamed of going to Penn State to study musical theater. His family encouraged college, and he went to a private Christian high school where it’s an expectation. But when classes went online, he spent more time pursuing creative outlets. He felt a new sense of independence, and the stress of school faded. “I was like, ‘OK, what’s this thing that’s not on my back constantly?’” Hart said. “I can do things that I can enjoy. I can also do things that are important to me. And I kind of relaxed more in life and enjoyed life.” He started working at a smoothie shop and realized he could earn a steady paycheck without a degree. By the time he graduated, he had left college plans behind. It happened at public as well as private schools. Some counselors and principals were shocked to see graduates flocking to jobs at Amazon warehouses or scratching together income in the gig economy. The shift has been stark in Jackson, where just four in 10 of the county's public high school graduates immediately went to college in 2021, down from six in 10 in 2019. That drop is far steeper than the nation overall, which declined from 66% to 62%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jackson's leaders say young people are taking restaurant and retail jobs that pay more than ever. Some are being recruited by manufacturing companies that have aggressively raised wages to fill shortages. “Students can’t seem to resist sign-on bonuses and wages that far exceed any that they’ve seen before,” said Vicki Bunch, the head of workforce development for the area’s chamber of commerce. Across Tennessee, there’s growing concern the slide will only accelerate with the opening of several new manufacturing plants. The biggest is a $5.6 billion Ford plant near Jackson that will produce electric trucks and batteries. It promises to create 5,000 jobs, and its construction is already drawing young workers. Daniel Moody, 19, was recruited to run plumbing for the plant after graduating from a Memphis high school in 2021. Now earning $24 an hour, he’s glad he passed on college. “If I would have gone to college after school, I would be dead broke,” he said. “The type of money we’re making out here, you’re not going to be making that while you’re trying to go to college.” America’s college-going rate was generally on the upswing until the pandemic reversed decades of progress. Rates fell even as the nation's population of high school graduates grew, and despite economic upheaval, which typically drives more people into higher education. In Tennessee, education officials issued a “call to action” after finding just 53% of public high school graduates were enrolling in college in 2021, far below the national average. It was a shock for a state that in 2014 made community college free, leading to a surge in the college-going rate. Now it's at its lowest point since at least 2009. Searching for answers, education officials crossed the state last year and heard that easy access to jobs, coupled with student debt worries, made college less attractive. “This generation is different,” said Jamia Stokes, a senior director at SCORE, an education nonprofit. “They’re more pragmatic about the way they work, about the way they spend their time and their money.” Most states are still collecting data on recent college rates, but early figures are troubling. In Arkansas, the number of new high school graduates going to college fell from 49% to 42% during the pandemic. Kentucky slid by a similar amount, to 54%. The latest data in Indiana showed a 12-point drop from 2015 to 2020, leading the higher education chief to warn the “future of our state is at risk.” Even more alarming are the figures for Black, Hispanic and low-income students, who saw the largest slides in many states. In Tennessee's class of 2021, just 35% of Hispanic graduates and 44% of Black graduates enrolled in college, compared with 58% of their white peers. There's some hope the worst has passed. The number of freshmen enrolling at U.S. colleges increased slightly from 2021 to 2022. But that figure, along with total college enrollment, remains far below pre-pandemic levels. Amid the chaos of the pandemic, many students fell through the cracks, said Scott Campbell, executive director of Persist Nashville, a nonprofit that offers college coaching. Some students fell behind academically and didn't feel prepared for college. Others lost access to counselors and teachers who help navigate college applications and the complicated process of applying for federal student aid. “Students feel like schools have let them down,” Campbell said. In Jackson, Mia Woodard recalls sitting in her bedroom and trying to fill out a few online college applications. No one from her school had talked to her about the process, she said. As she scrolled through the forms, she was sure of her Social Security number and little else. “None of them even mentioned anything college-wise to me,” said Woodard, who is biracial and transferred high schools to escape racist bullying. “It might be because they didn’t believe in me.” She says she never heard back from the colleges. She wonders whether to blame her shaky Wi-Fi, or if she simply failed to provide the right information. A spokesperson for the Jackson school system, Greg Hammond, said it provides several opportunities for students to gain exposure to higher education, including an annual college fair for seniors. “Mia was an at-risk student,” Hammond said. “Our school counselors provide additional supports for high school students in this category. It is, however, difficult to provide post-secondary planning and assistance to students who don’t participate in these services.” Woodard, who had hoped to be the first in her family to get a college degree, now works at a restaurant and lives with her dad. She’s looking for a second job so she can afford to live on her own. Then maybe she'll pursue her dream of getting a culinary arts degree. “It’s still kind of 50-50,” she said of her chances. If there’s a bright spot, experts say, it’s that more young people are pursuing education programs other than a four-year degree. Some states are seeing growing demand for apprenticeships in the trades, which usually provide certificates and other credentials. After a dip in 2020, the number of new apprentices in the U.S. has rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels, according to the Department of Labor. Before the pandemic, Boone Williams was the type of student colleges compete for. He took advanced classes and got A's. He grew up around agriculture and thought about going to college for animal science. But when his school outside Nashville sent students home his junior year, he tuned out. Instead of logging on for virtual classes, he worked at local farms, breaking horses or helping with cattle. “I stopped applying myself once COVID came around,” the 20-year-old said. “I was focusing on making money rather than going to school.” When a family friend told him about union apprenticeships, he jumped at the chance to get paid for hands-on work while mastering a craft. Today he works for a plumbing company and takes night classes at a Nashville union. The pay is modest, Williams said, but eventually he expects to earn far more than friends who took quick jobs after high school. He even thinks he’s better off than some who went to college — he knows too many who dropped out or took on debt for degrees they never used. “In the long run, I’m going to be way more set than any of them,” he said. Back in Jackson, Hart says he's doing what he loves and contributing to the city's growing arts community. Still, he wonders what's next. His job pays enough for stability but not a whole lot more. He sometimes finds himself thinking about Broadway, but he doesn't have a clear plan for the next 10 years. “I do worry about the future and what that may look like for me," he said. "But right now I’m trying to remind myself that I am good where I’m at, and we’ll take it one step at a time.” ___ This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

Police have arrested five people, including an acting principal of a college in Gazipur, in a case filed over vandalizing police cars and obstructing government work. The arrestees are Nazma Nasrin, acting principal of Shalna Nasir Uddin Memorial High School and College; Matiur Rahman, a local Awami League leader; Maksudur Rahman; Mobarak Hossain; and Tamim Hossain Tanmoy. SI Utpal Kumar of Gazipur Sadar police station filed the case over vandalizing police cars and obstructing government work during a student protest. According to the police, students of the institution had been protesting for over a month, demanding the removal of the principal. The students blocked the college campus and the nearby Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Tuesday. SI Utpal said some outsiders attacked the students amid the protest, and police went there to bring the situation under control. “They obstructed police from discharging their duty and vandalized police cars at the instigation of the principal and the AL leader,” he said. They were arrested from the spot, and a case regarding this was filed later that day, he added. The arrestees were sent to court on Wednesday. Read more: CU: Chhatra League activists vandalise VC's office over teacher recruitment

A college student was killed in a road accident on the Magura-Jhenaidah road on Tuesday afternoon. Nirob, 20, was son of Alamgir Hossain of College Para in the district town and a first-course degree student at Magura Government College. Mustafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Magura sadar police station, said the accident happened around 5.30pm when the student lost control over his bike during a race among his friends in the Chara Bouttala area on the highway, leaving him dead on the spot. The body was sent to Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said, adding that a case was filed in this connection.

A Dhaka court on Thursday placed Ashraful Ahsan Jitu, the prime accused in college teacher Utpal Kumar Sarkar murder case, on a 5-day remand.  Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Hasan passed the order when he was produced before the court. Emdadul Haque, sub-inspector of Ashulia Police Station and investigating officer of the case, sought a 10-day remand for Jitu. READ: Rape on moving bus in Savar: 5 put on remand Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) handed over Jitu to Ashulia police Thursday afternoon. He was detained from Sripur of Gazipur on Wednesday evening by the elite force. On Tuesday, police arrested Jitu’s father Ujjal from Kushtia’s Kumarkhali. A Dhaka court on Wednesday put him on a 5-day remand.  Utpal Kumar Sarkar, a teacher of Haji Yunus Ali School and College in Savar’s Ashulia  who suffered critical injuries allegedly after Jitu, a 10th grader of the same educational institution,  beat him up with a cricket stump in Savar, died at Enam Medical College and Hospital in the early hours of Monday.

Miscreants severed the wrist of a teacher of Bashgram Alauddin Ahmed Degree College in Kushita district following previous enmity on Tuesday, said police. Quamruzzaman Talukdar, officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali Police Station, said the miscreants, numbering 10-15, waylaid Tofazzel Biswas, son of Bala Biswas of Shalghar Madhua area, when he reached at Bongshitola New Bridge and attacked  him at 2:30 pm. READ: 2 sentenced to life for murder in Kushtia They stabbed him indiscriminately and cut off the wrist of his right hand. He was taken to Kushtia General Hospital. Drive is on to arrest the attackers, he added.

A college student on Monday afternoon was killed in a head-on collision between a motorcycle and a three-wheeler in Panchagarh Sadar upazila. The deceased was identified as Liton, 22, son of late Abdul Karim Miah of Shukdevpara village in the Amarkhana union of the upazila. Amarkhana union parishad chairman Nuruzzaman Nuru said Liton was on his way to Model Hatbazar on a motorcycle when he collided head-on with a three-wheeler coming from the opposite direction at Shukdevpara village and was seriously injured. READ: Tajik engineer killed in Pabna accident The locals rushed him to Panchagarh Sadar Hospital. When his condition deteriorated, he was being taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital but he died on the way, said Panchagarh Sadar Police officer-in-charge (OC) Abdul Latif Mia said.

Eight students were injured and rushed to the hospital after the ground-floor veranda of Sheikh Kamal dormitory of Patuakhali Government College caved in, witnesses said on Tuesday. Mohammad Shamim Ahmed, assistant super of the hall said the incident took place around midnight Monday when the floor of the veranda, where some students were standing after a meeting, collapsed suddenly injuring the students. Also read: 2 DU students endure night of torture at Surjo Sen hall The soil beneath the floor may have been eroded by a water that came along with sand brought from a water body to fill the college compound, said Executive Engineer of Patuakhali Education Engineer Department Mohammad Hadiuzzaman Khan. Of the injured, three were undergoing treatment Patuakhali Medical College and Hospital while five others were given first aid. The students living at the dormitory demanded immediate steps to repair the floor and ensure their safety. Also read: BM College students protesting against increase in hall fees

An 18-year-old college student was hacked to death allegedly by another student at South Surma College in South Surma upazila in Sylhet on Thursday noon. The deceased was identified as Md Ariful islam Rahat, son of Surman Ali of Old Tetli area of South Surma upazila. He was a class XII student of  the college. Also read: 5 to die for killing college student in Rajshahi Witnesses said Rahat went to his college to meet his friends. When he was getting out of the college gate around 12:30 pm Sadi, another student of the college, appeared there riding a motorbike and stabbed him indiscriminately from behind , leaving him injured, said victim’s cousin Rafi. Also read: Medical student dies in quicksand of Jamuna River Later, Rahat was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead. Kamrul Hasan Talkudar, Officer-in-Charge of South Surma Police Station, said police are investigating the incident. No one has been arrested yet,  the OC added.

Admitting the losses Bangladesh’s education sector has suffered for the prolonged closure of educational institutions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the government cannot put the lives of students at stake knowing it clearly that Covid-19 will infect them as well. “Children are also getting infected by coronavirus. [This is good] they’ll learn but the question is whether we should force them to the verge of death knowing this virus will infect them, too,” Sheikh Hasina said. The Prime Minister said this while delivering her winding-up speech at the budget session in Parliament as a number of opposition MPs, including deputy leader of the opposition GM Quader, criticised the government for keeping educational institutions shut for an indefinite period. Also read: Schools, colleges to reopen on June 13: Dipu Moni Sheikh Hasina, also the leader of the house, said the government will open the educational institutions after vaccinating students. She mentioned that the parents of students are also not interested in sending their children to educational institutions. “Those who’re most vocal about it have no children who are students or their children have already completed their education.” Hasina said the government has already vaccinated the teachers and will provide vaccines for the students following the instructions of the World Health Organisation (WHO). “We’ve to follow WHO. Keeping that point in mind, we’ve started our job regarding vaccination of the students.” Talking about the problem of getting coronavirus vaccines, the Prime Minister said the government has procured vaccines from India with cash. “But the sudden spike in coronavirus infections in India forced the country to impose a ban on vaccine export. We’ve faced problems for some days,” she admitted. Hasina informed the House that a good number of doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines have already arrived in the country. “We’re also communicating with the countries where the vaccines of coronavirus are available. We’ll procure more vaccines; we’ll buy, no matter what the price is. For that, we’ve allocated separate funds.” The Prime Minister said the government is communicating with China, Russia, the USA, Japan and Australia to collect vaccines, and the government will provide free vaccines to up to 80 percent of people. “We’ve made the Covid-19 test free as the number of infected people has surged at the district level in recent times,” she added. Also read: Ecnec rejects Tk 17,290-cr primary school meal project Vaccine funds The Prime Minister said the government has been allocated Tk 32,236 crore for vaccine procurement while an additional amount of Tk 10,000 crore has been kept aside for emergency purposes. Talking about the lockdown, she said the government will look after the food security issue of people and called on all to keep themselves safe from coronavirus and other health hazards. “Please follow the health guidelines, let no coronavirus spread further,” she appealed. Hasina also mentioned that before the Eid-ul-Fitr she had requested people repeatedly not to move from the places where they were. “But many did not pay heed to that, they rushed (to their village homes). What’s the result of that now-- the spread of the virus! If everyone had listened to our call this spread might not have occurred!” she said. Economy Hasina said the government has been able to maintain the pace of the economy during the pandemic. “That’s why inflation is under control while the growth is maintained properly.” “Although we couldn’t achieve the growth that we had wanted, we have attained the highest growth in South Asia,” she said. The Prime Minister said the aim of this year’s budget was to face the coronavirus and revive the economy that suffered heavily due to this deadly virus, bring the marginal people under the coverage of social safety net and give topmost priority to health services. Also read: 170,000 schools to be connected with high speed internet by 2030: Palak She also briefly described the various measures of the government, including the stimulus packages given by the government, to offset the impacts of the pandemic. Drug abuse Talking about drug abuse, the Prime Minister said it is now a problem for the whole world, including Bangladesh. “We’re taking action against it, but this cannot be controlled,” she said. Hasina requested parents and guardians to look after their children. Guardians and teachers have to give good lessons to the children so that they do not go down any wrong path, she added.

Around 6 million primary and secondary students are at risk of learning loss due to the extended closure of the educational institutions in the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a study report revealed Monday. Since the closure of schools in March 2020, there have been severe disruptions in the education of children, especially those from low-income groups. The extended closure has led to far-reaching consequences including an increased risk of learning losses, dropouts, and psychological and economic costs, says the survey "Covid-19 Impact on Education Life of Children." Also read: Schools for over 168mn children globally shut for almost a full year: UNICEF Some 3.42 million are primary school students and 2.50 million secondary school students are now at risk of learning loss. Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) and Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) jointly conducted the rapid telephonic survey between April 2020 and March 2021 to assess the impact of Covid-19 on poverty. It used samples from 6,099 households with around 4,940 consisting of school-going-age children. Between June 2020 and March 2021, the out-of-pocket expenditure for education increased 11 times. The crisis has increased the opportunity cost of investing in education. Some 8% of school-going boys and 3% of school-going girls are in some form of income-earning activity. Read No assignments for secondary school students Without targeted remedial measures, the situation will lead to reduced learning capacity or risk of dropouts in future, says the study. The survey also revealed that only around 10% of students had access to or used distance learning opportunities to compensate for school closure; public TV classes were viewed by only around 2%. Some 51% in primary and 61% secondary students went to coaching or private tuition. However, it was lower in urban compared to rural primarily due to higher costs. Read UN alarm at education crisis: 258 million kids not in school Even in pre-pandemic times, a greater proportion of secondary school-going-age children were out of school (21%) than primary (14%). More children were out of school in urban slums than rural areas at both primary and secondary levels. "A significant portion of school-going children are at risk of learning loss. So, school reopening must be coupled with a set of remedial measures to cover the learning loss and help children to cope up," said BIGD Executive Director Dr Imran Matin. PPRC Chair Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman focused on three main consequences of school closures – learning loss, education cost burdens, and multidimensional social alienation. Also read: 60.5 percent people in favour of reopening schools: Survey He said outside class hours, additional programmes are required as a learning loss recovery strategy to mitigate the loss as part of a post-Covid human capital agenda. "Otherwise, a large part of our population will not only be far removed from education but also become deskilled," he added. Dr Zillur recommended that existing primary and secondary stipend programmes be used to redress the out-of-pocket education cost burdens. "Using the established database, the government can quickly provide a cash boost by allocating Tk2,960 crore in the 2021-22 budget," he said. Read 86,452 primary students get stipend, allowance through Nagad in phase 1