At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren — 463 million children globally — were unable to access remote learning following Covid-19 induced closure of their schools. Children in the poorest households and in rural areas were most affected, according to a new report by the Unicef, a global child rights agency. It was released on Thursday as countries across the world grapple with their ‘back-to-school’ plans.
The Unicef warned that the situation is likely far worse, because even where technology exists at home, children may not be able to learn due to pressures to do chores or work.
“For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to Covid-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning,” Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.
“The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency,” she said in a statement. “The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come.”
The report released late Wednesday night highlights significant inequality across regions, with school children in sub-Saharan Africa the most affected. The highest number of children affection by region were in South Asia, at least 147 million, according to the report.
The agency said the report used a globally representative analysis on the availability of home-based technology and tools needed for remote learning, such as access to television, radio and internet, and the availability of curricula delivered by the platforms.
The youngest children are also most likely to miss out on remote learning during critical years, the report said, largely due to challenges and limitations to online learning for young children and lack of assets at home, said the report.
When reopening of the schools is not possible, Unicef urged, that the countries should incorporate compensatory learning for lost instructional time into school continuity and reopening plans.
“School opening policies and practices must include expanding access to education, including remote learning, especially for marginalized groups. Education systems must also be adapted and built to withstand future crises,” it said.
Schoolchildren from the poorest households and those living in rural areas are by far the most likely to miss out during closures, the report said. Globally, 72 per cent ofschoolchildren unable to access remote learning live in their countries’ poorest households. In upper-middle-income countries, schoolchildren from the poorest households account for up to 86 per cent of students unable to access remote learning. Globally, three quarters of schoolchildren without access live in rural areas, the Unicef noted.