It seems incredible that we are now into our second year of Covid. It has affected so many parts of our economy, and what we considered made up a” normal existence”. However one of the biggest tolls of the pandemic has been on children and their education. A recent Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore has reminded us of some of the many challenges and threats that are ongoing in the wake of school closures. The initial lockdowns affected up to 90% of children and in many countries the continuation of this policy is having tragic effects, among them an increase in child abuse, child marriage, child labour and in a number of cases children – especially girls dropping out of education, never to return. Henrietta asserts that “Despite overwhelming evidence of the impact of school closures on children, and despite increasing evidence that schools are not drivers of the pandemic, too many countries have opted to keep schools closed, some for nearly a year”. Governments need to do whatever it takes to ensure that schools reopen as fast as possible, before the impact will be even more long-lasting than it currently is.
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-cannot-afford-another-year-school-disruption