Teachers’ Perception Towards Responses of COVID-19 Pandemic Management in Gandaki Province of Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Survey

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted numerous organisations, including those in the health, education, livelihood, and development sectors. The outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in the prolonged closure of many educational institutions. Health and education authorities made concerted efforts to maintain teaching and learning activities in schools. Teachers’ perceptions are crucial for the effectiveness of future pandemic response initiatives. Therefore, this study aims to assess teachers’ perceptions of the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among teachers in community schools from June 29 to August 28, 2023, in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. The sample size consisted of 732 individuals, selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. A pretested questionnaire was self-administered. Data were analysed using the chi-square test and logistic regression at a 5% significance level. This study reveals that 69.7% of teachers held inadequate perceptions regarding efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen schools. Teachers with more experience (B = 0.11; p = 0.57) and those from urban municipalities (B = 0.02; p = 0.26) had a more positive perception of the responses. However, gender, monthly family income, work experience, number of family members, and municipal type were insignificantly associated with teachers’ perceptions of the responses to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. This study demonstrates that teachers had an inadequate level of perception regarding responses to COVID-19 pandemic management and the reopening of schools. These results suggest that policymakers and managers in the health and education sectors must develop comprehensive responses to prevent the entry and spread of COVID-19 among teachers, as well as to enhance the resilience of schools and society for future epidemics.