Direction: In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. Choose the correct word from the given options which fits the blank appropriately.
Higher education in India is entering a (1)_________ phase due to the unprecedented impact of COVID19 on school education. On the one hand, with policies (2)_________ the promotion of students, promotion rates at the secondary school level rose significantly and repetition rates nosedived during the pandemic years (2020-21 and 2021-22). On the other hand, the inability to (3)_________ physical school and the lack of access to digital education caused a massive drop in learning levels after the COVID19 (4)_________. Simply put, compared to students from the preCOVID19 years, more students were promoted from secondary to higher secondary school and graduated from college during the pandemic years even (5)_________ their learning outcomes were poor.