The schools that have been closed due to the pandemic should be reopened, Unicef called today, while 600 million school-age children are currently affected by restrictive measures against Covid. “This cannot go on; schools must be the last places to close and the first to reopen,” said James Elder, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund, at a regular briefing in Geneva. that sometimes it is a difficult choice for the authorities, reports APE.
“The opening of schools can not wait to be vaccinated “Students and teachers,” he said, adding that governments and donors must “protect the education budget” despite the financial difficulties posed by the pandemic. Although children in the northern hemisphere are still on summer vacation in East and South Africa, 40% of school-age children are out of school, he said.
Across the continent, which has seen a severe outbreak of pandemics for months, Unicef estimates that 32 million children either saw their school closed or did not return to school when the schools reopened. And that adds to the 37 million children who were not educated before the pandemic. In the Asia-Pacific region, about half of schools have been closed for more than 200 days, and in Latin America and the Caribbean – where school suspension has hit record highs – there are 18 countries where schools have been closed in whole or in part due to the pandemic. according to Elder.
“Anxiety, violence and teenage pregnancies”
“Education, security, friends and food have been replaced by anxiety, violence and teenage pregnancies,” said the spokeswoman, citing the Ugandan example, where pregnancies for girls aged 10 to 24 increased by 20%. between March 2020 and June 2021.
In terms of distance learning, it is impossible for one third of students worldwide. In Southeast Asia and the Pacific, 80 million children had no access to distance learning when their school closed. Schools in Uganda, for example, closed for 306 days with only 0.3% of households having an internet connection. According to a World Bank study, the pandemic will cost $ 10,000 billion in revenue loss to this generation of students, Elder said.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
