COVID-19: Schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost a full year, says UNICEF

 INDIA HIGHLIGHTS COVID-19

In India, closure of 1.5 million schools due to the pandemic and lockdowns in 2020 has impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. In addition, there are over six million girls and boys who were already out of school even before the COVID-19 crisis began.

Online education is not an option for all as only one in four children has access to digital devises and internet connectivity. Pre-COVID, only a quarter of households (24 per cent) in India had access to the internet and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide.

Till date in India only eight states/UTs have opened all classes from class 1 to class 12, 11 states have reopened classes 6-12 and 15 states have only opened classes 9-12. Three states have reopened anganwadi centers, with younger children losing out greatly on crucial foundational learning.

“It has been nearly a year since the pandemic caused schools to close and disrupt the normal routine of children throughout India. We know that the longer children stay out of school, the more vulnerable they become, with less chances of returning to school. Any decision to reopen schools is made with the best interests of children in mind and as schools re-open in a staggered manner with children returning to their classrooms, we must strive to support them in catching up on the learning they have missed. This is especially true for those who were not able to access digital or remote learning opportunities. Further, the mental health and well-being of children is a crucial concern. Psycho-social support from teachers, parents and caregivers is a priority,” said Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India Representative.

UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHCR, World Bank and World Food Programme developed a Global Framework for Reopening Schools which was adapted to the Indian context. The Ministry of Education has finalized guidelines, drafted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), for safe school re-opening with emphasis on promoting regular handwashing and safe hygiene practices of students, teachers and other school staff and sanitization of schools, with adequate supplies and facilities as well as physical distancing strategies. 

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Notes to editors

* Countries were identified based on the number of instruction days since 11 March 2020, the reference date for when schools were fully closed, to February 2021. The data reflect school closure status over the past 11 months. In cases where countries had less than 10 days of fully opened schooling and less than 12 days of partially open schooling, they were deemed as remaining closed for almost a year of instruction time. The analysis covers from the pre-primary

 education to the upper secondary education.

New Delhi | Jagran Education Desk: India is witnessing an alarming surge in fresh coronavirus cases for the past few weeks. The country has been logging over 20,000 fresh infections from the last week, with nearly 40,000 cases being reported from across the country on Friday. According to the Union Health Ministry's latest data, India recorded 39,726 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, which is the highest single-day surge in new cases in the last 102 days. The country had reported 41,810 cases on November 29, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in India.

Schools and colleges closed again in many states