Not Opening Schools Bigger Risk, Says UNICEF Urging Govts to Resume In-Person Classes

With the Covid-19 cases increasing across the world, schools have been shutting down once again. In certain areas, the schools continue to remain closed to contain the spread of the virus among children. UNICEF, however, said that schools must not be closed. In a recent video released by the organisation it says, “the risk of being out of school are greater than the risks of being in school.”

In the video, UNICEF lists three reasons why schools must remain open and urged schools to reopen immediately:

— School closures deepen an existing learning crisis. Students are falling further behind in their learning. Basic reading and maths skills are in sharp decline for the most vulnerable students.

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— Education is a powerful tool to fight poverty. Children with less schooling are more likely to live in poverty for the rest of their lives and their children too.

— School closures are affecting the mental health of an entire generation of children. We are raising an alarm. It’s unacceptable for bars, restaurants, and gyms to remain open while schools are closed. Children need to be in school now.

Read| No Justification for Keeping Schools Closed in View of COVID: World Bank Education Director

As per a survey conducted by UNICEF, as many as 76 per cent of parents of children between the ages of 5-13 years, and 80 per cent between the ages of 14-18 years, reported learning loss due to schools being closed due to the pandemic. Besides, 10 per cent of students had no access to a smartphone in or outside of their homes. About 45 per cent of the children who did not use any remote learning opportunities were unaware of any resource from which they could continue learning.

The organisation in a study published along with UNESCO and World Bank had also said that learning losses caused by the pandemic in the last two years could cost $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in the present value of the current generation of students.

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