UNB, Dhaka :
UNICEF has urged governments to prioritise the unique needs of every student, with comprehensive services covering remedial learning, health and nutrition, and mental health and protection measures in schools to nurture children and adolescents’ development and wellbeing.
Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year due to COVID-19 lockdowns, according to new data released on Wednesday by UNICEF.
Furthermore, around 214 million children globally – or 1 in 7 – have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning.
The analysis of school closure report notes that schools in 14 countries worldwide have remained largely closed since March 2020 to February 2021.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the recent decision by the Government of Bangladesh to reopen schools on 30 March. Together with other development partners, UNICEF continues to work closely and intensely with the Government to help reopen schools safely,” said Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh.
School closures have devastating consequences for children’s learning and wellbeing.
Two-thirds of those countries are in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting nearly 98 million schoolchildren.
Of the 14 countries, Panama has kept schools closed for the most days, followed by El Salvador, Bangladesh, and Bolivia.
“As we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are again reminded of the catastrophic education emergency worldwide lockdowns have created. With every day that goes by, children unable to access in-person schooling fall further and further behind, with the most marginalized paying the heaviest price,” said Henrietta Fore UNICEF Executive Director.
“We cannot afford to move into year two of limited or even no in-school learning for these children. No effort should be spared to keep schools open, or prioritise them in reopening plans.”
The most vulnerable children and those unable to access remote learning are at an increased risk of never returning to the classroom, and even being forced into child marriage or child labor.
According to latest data by UNESCO, more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closures
The majority of schoolchildren worldwide rely on their schools as a place where they can interact with their peers, seek support, access health and immunization services and a nutritious meal.
The longer schools remain closed, the longer children are cut off from these critical elements of childhood.
