The losses in terms of education equivalence vary depending on whether countries are poor or rich. According to a new report published today by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank in the case of the former this is “nearly four months of schooling since the start of the pandemic, compared to six weeks of loss in high-income countries.” One of the concerns is that “Half of respondents in low-income countries reported not having adequate funds for safety measures such as handwashing facilities, social distancing measures and protective equipment for students and teachers, compared to 5% of high-income countries”. Due to lack of funds governments are potentially endangering the lives of children and their relatives, and this situation will become worse as “nearly 20% have either already experienced or anticipate decreases to their country’s education budget for the current or next fiscal year”. Western governments need to prop up this situation lest the cost of addressing this and its fallout in the future will be much more.
