Keep schools open, can’t afford learning loss: Unicef

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, January 28

Unicef on Friday urged nations to open schools as soon as possible and prevent learning crisis from escalating.

Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore said an estimated 616 million children were currently affected by full or partial school closures. “As the Omicron variant of Covid continues its spread all over the world, we urge governments to do everything in their power to keep it from further disrupting children’s education. To avert a learning catastrophe and put children back on the learning track, Unicef recommends keeping schools open,” Fore said.

Making access to in-person schooling contingent on Covid vaccination risks denying children access to education and increasing inequalities, Unicef said.

Consistent with WHO recommendations, Unicef has also recommended keeping schools open and ensuring that countries’ Covid control strategies facilitate children’s participation in education and other aspects of social life even without vaccinating them.

In India alone, Education Ministry data shows school closure has affected 320 million children enrolled from pre-primary to tertiary levels.

The Ministry of Education, in a recent submission to a parliamentary committee, took on board concerns about the pandemic disproportionately affecting adolescent girls. It noted, “Post pandemic, the situation can lead to a higher risk of girls permanently dropping out of school and reversing the gains made in recent years. One can’t also ignore the fact that there is a gender dimension in digital access to learning. In families which possess a single smartphone, it is likely that sons will be given the preference to access online classes.”

The ministry also admitted a near three-fold rise in the number of out-of-school children over the pandemic year 2020.