Education disruption during corona
Its direct impacts are very well-known. There are many other implications, which will take decades to mitigate. Humanity will have to pay cost of the coronavirus outbreak with huge individual, social and economic losses. Vulnerable sections and children are worst hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. The deadly virus has infected over 20 million people so far, leaving more than 0.7 million dead worldwide.
Corona hits education, one billion students worldwide
Vaccines are still in process in many countries to cure or prevent the decease and save the humanity. But even after the virus is contained, there will be much more to recover in coming decades. Coronavirus pandemic has created the biggest barrier for education in history, with schools closed in over 160 countries during lockdown, says United Nations.
The crisis time has affected over one billion students across the globe, says UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Due to coronavirus lockdown in almost all the countries, school remained closed and studies constantly suffered. Around 40 million children are forced to miss schools in their critical year of preschool, he said. He referred to the current crisis as a generational catastrophe.
Even prior to the outbreak, learning crisis was bad and now we are looking at its worse across the globe. As many as 250 million school children and a quarter of secondary school students with only basic skills were leaving schools in developing nations even before the Covid pandemic.
Education disruption during corona
As per projections based on the UNESCO’s study in 180 nations, the economic effects of Covid 19 outbreak may lead to an additional 23.8 million pre-primary school to university level students to be at risk of dropping out or losing an access to schools next year.
This pandemic phase is going to be the defining moment for children and youth of the world, Guterrus said. He alarmed the governments and other stakeholders that their decisions will have a drastic impact on hundreds of millions of children and the countries’ progress.
The generational catastrophe due to Covid outbreak is likely to waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities, he further said.
UN’s strategy to help children get back to schools
The UN has come up with a policy to help the children across the world. And to restart their education, disrupted over the months now. The UN education policy under ‘Save Our Future’ initiative has four key areas:
Reopening schools
Once local spread of Covid 19 is in control, schools will be reopen. And students will be back there safely in the proper guidance of the global agency.
Prioritizing education in financing decisions
UN will help people with debt management, stimulus packages, global humanitarian appeals and official development assistance for their children.
Targeting the hardest to reach
The most vulnerable people, including minority, displaced and disables, will get help on priority by the global agency to get their children back in schools.
The future of education is here
The UN believes this is a generational opportunity to see education with new perspective. Need is to develop a new system for quality education under the Sustainable Development Goals.
It’s not going to be an easy task for any country or the entire world to come out of the learning crisis, which was already existing even before the pandemic. People have lost livelihood sources and this is reflecting in the growing distances between students and educational institutions. Online education is still a luxury for most of the poor families.
The children who have suffered the most are from vulnerable sections and regions. A lot has to be done and it will take decades to get everything on boat. Global agencies, governments, Non-Government Organizations and other stakeholders must come together to devise solution for this crisis at the earliest to save the children and the future.
