Skip to main content

More than one billion children shut out of education over COVID-19 fears

Countries
World
Sources
Theirworld
Publication date
Origin
View original

The pandemic has forced over 110 countries to shut down their education systems - on top of 258 million young people already not going to school in the long term.

More than 110 countries in every corner of the world have shut down schools and universities or are planning to close them to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The United Nations says 102 of them have nationwide closures that have impacted more than 849 million children and youth from pre-primary to higher education. Another 11 countries have localised shutdowns, which if extended would affect tens of millions more students.

To put those numbers in perspective, before coronavirus struck, all the conflicts, natural disasters, poverty and discrimination across the globe were keeping 258 million children and youth out of primary and secondary school. Add in the pandemic and the number whose education is currently being disrupted is now well over ONE BILLION.

"The global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled and, if prolonged, could threaten the right to education," said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

The agency said the effects could include:

  • Interrupted learning. When schools close, children and youth are deprived of opportunities for growth and development. Under-privileged learners with fewer educational opportunities beyond school are the hardest hit.

  • Nutrition. Many students rely on free or discounted meals provided at schools for food and healthy nutrition.

  • Dropout rates. It is a challenge to ensure children and youth return and stay in school when schools reopen after closures. Dropout rates rise in protracted closures.

As the UN agency that is leading on the Sustainable Development Goal to deliver quality education for all, UNESCO is compiling the coronavirus statistics and providing urgent support to ensure that learning continues even when schools are shut.

The biggest schools shutdowns

(Number of children affected from pre-primary to upper secondary)

China 233 million, Indonesia 60.2m Pakistan 44.9m, Bangladesh 36.7m, Mexico 33m, Ethiopia 23.9m, Egypt 23.1m, Turkey 17.7m, Japan 16.5m, Iran 14.6m, Kenya 13.7m, South Africa 13.5m, France 12.9m, Thailand 12.9m, Germany 12.2m, Argentina 11m, Afghanistan 9.6m.

Countries with partial school closures include…

United States, Russia, India, United Kingdom, Brazil, Philippines, Canada.

In these countries, school systems have been closed in certain areas and large cities most affected by coronavirus.

It announced the creation of a UNESCO-Covid19 Emergency Task Force that will support national responses and share digital and traditional methods of learning, with a focus on the most vulnerable countries. That included a global video conference last week attended by 73 countries and many education ministers.

“We are entering uncharted territory and working with countries to find hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech solutions to assure the continuity of learning,” said Azoulay. “As countries try to prepare their response, international cooperation is vital to share the most effective approaches and support students, teachers and families.”

She said that support must promote innovation and inclusion to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind. A wider community of practice, including the private sector, will be established to enhance knowledge-sharing, peer learning and scaling up distance and open learning.

Theirworld has been campaigning for years for every child in the world to receive a quality education. We led calls for Education Cannot Wait - the world’s first fund to deliver education in emergencies - to be set up in 2016.

Without education for prolonged periods, young people's childhoods may be lost to child labour, early marriage, recruitment by armed groups, exploitation and discrimination. A child who is out of school for more than a year is unlikely to return - and girls are 2.5 times more likely to drop out of school than boys.

Theirworld President Justin van Fleet said: “During this unprecedented time, when health and safety is the top priority, we also need to ensure young people, especially the most vulnerable, do not stop learning.

“High-tech and low-tech innovations, ranging from radio learning, games and distance learning, have been implemented in crises past and present. Governments should ensure that all young people have the continuity of an education as the consequences of a lost year of development and learning is far too high.”

In India - one of the countries with partial school closures so far - education charities say they are worried about girls dropping out. Almost one in four girls leave school before puberty and the female literacy rate is 66% compared to 80% for men.

In Delhi, the closure coincides with the holiday period. If it extends beyond March 31, then parents may be involved in lessons and some classes could be moved online, said Shailendra Sharma, principal advisor at the directorate of education.

He added: "We recognise that in government schools, many students are first-generation learners, so parents may not be able to help much. Nor does every student have access to a smartphone or tablet. So there may be challenges if the shutdown lasts longer."

About 54% of the global population - or 4.1 billion people - use the internet. But only one in five people in the least developed countries are online, according to the International Telecommunication Union, the UN's internet and telecoms agency.

Lack of online learning opportunities isn’t just a problem for the world’s poorest countries. In the United States, as many as 12 million school-aged children live in homes without broadband access, according to a 2017 US Congress report.

The Los Angeles school district estimates that half of its students don't have computers or tablets and one in four have no internet access at home.

Among the countries that have not shut down schools nationwide is the United Kingdom. But many parents and teachers are not happy with that approach.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union, said head teachers are struggling to keep their institutions open beyond Friday. He told the BBC: "Some very seasoned head teachers have been calling me to say they will not be able to manage much longer. One said he had 17 members of staff call in sick. And I think this will be replicated around the country."

Worried mother Suzana Ilieva from Doncaster has kept her six-year-old son at home since Friday, out of fear that he could transmit the virus to an elderly relative who lives with her family. She said: "I think the government is irresponsible and for the sake of protecting the economy is damaging people's lives."