UN calls for full opening of schools in South Asia amid learning losses | New Education

The education of more than 400 million affected children has been warned by top UNICEF officials that the consequences could last for decades.

India and its neighbors should open schools completely to deal with the disruption of the education of 400 million children who were shut down by coronary pandemics, UNICEF says a senior official has warned of the potential consequences. in recent decades.

Schools in Bangladesh have been closed for almost 18 months, one of the longest closures In the world, the UN Children’s Agency said that in other South Asian countries, schools were closed for an average of 31.5 weeks between March 2020 and August this year.

“It simply came to our notice then no solid conditions for distance learning, ”George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s South Asia Regional Director, told AFP.

“Internet and device access was very erratic. And we see a serious lack of learning, especially among poor communities and girls, because boys often have more confidence in technology. ”

A study in India cited in the report showed that the proportion of 3rd graders reading a Level 1 text dropped from around 42 per cent in 2018 to 24 per cent in 2020.

Being out of school also led to increased psychosocial distress, poor mental health, and an increased risk of violence. The girls were in one high risk of early marriage.

The UNICEF report called on South Asian governments to personally re-start safe learning and to ensure that students progress, as well as improve connectivity.

“The cost of the action would be a weaker workforce in a few years, that will be shown,” Laryea-Adjei said. “The consequences will be long-term.”

According to a UNESCO database, schools in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan remain partially open, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka are fully open.

The report also warns that child mortality is expected to rise as pandemic disruptions in health services have left millions of children without life-saving vaccines.