:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/5JXYJREBI5AWJFMZABJ4A75WJM.jpg "UNESCO: with covid-19 two thirds of the last academic year have been lost")
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Paris, Jan 24 – Schools around the world have been closed for an average of two-thirds of an academic year due to covid-19, as published by Unesco this Sunday, International Education Day, which recalls that more than 800 million students continue to face major disruptions.
Complete closure nationwide for an average of 3.5 months rises to 5.5 months if school closures in localized areas are taken into account.
Duration varies greatly by region, with five months of full closures in Latin American and Caribbean countries, two and a half months in Europe, and only one month in Oceania.
But if you look at the partial and localized closures, these exceeded seven months on average in Latin America and the Caribbean, compared to the world average of 5.5 months.
But if you look at the partial and localized closures, these exceeded seven months on average in Latin America and the Caribbean, compared to the world average of 5.5 months.
The total closure of schools in 31 countries and the reduction of hours in another 48 affect 800 million students, more than half of the student population, recalls the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which allows follow closures in real time on an interactive map on their website.
At the national level, only schools in Greenland, Iceland, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Belarus, Estonia, Burundi, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea are currently fully open.
At the national level, only schools in Greenland, Iceland, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Belarus, Estonia, Burundi, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea are currently fully open.
Unesco highlights the efforts of governments to minimize closures at the national level, which have gone from 190 countries in the worst moment of April 2020 to 30 today, giving priority to partial and local closures. Today schools are fully open in 101 countries.
PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT
“The prolonged and repeated closures of educational centers are having a psychosocial cost for students, increasing learning losses and the risk of dropping out of school, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable,” said the general director in the note. from Unesco, Audrey Azoulay.
Azoulay insisted that the total closure should be the last resort and the reopening of the centers in safe conditions, “a priority.”
In addition, the new data from the World Education Monitoring Report indicates that few countries are making an effort to respond to the problems of equity in education in the face of covid-19.
“We need a properly funded recovery package to reopen schools safely, targeting those most in need, and getting education back on track for the covid-19 generation,” Azoulay added.
“The prolonged and repeated closures of educational centers are having a psychosocial cost for students, increasing learning losses and the risk of dropping out of school, which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable,” said the general director in the note. from Unesco, Audrey Azoulay.
Azoulay insisted that the total closure should be the last resort and the reopening of the centers in safe conditions, “a priority.”
In addition, the new data from the World Education Monitoring Report indicates that few countries are making an effort to respond to the problems of equity in education in the face of covid-19.
“We need a properly funded recovery package to reopen schools safely, targeting those most in need, and getting education back on track for the covid-19 generation,” Azoulay added.
According to Unesco, there is a “low priority” in efforts to recover education, a sector that receives only 0.78% of aid packages worldwide, and estimates that aid to the sector will decrease by 12 % for the pandemic.
The pandemic could also increase the education funding gap by a third, to $ 200 billion annually in low- and middle-income countries, 40% of the total cost.
The pandemic could also increase the education funding gap by a third, to $ 200 billion annually in low- and middle-income countries, 40% of the total cost.
“The initial investment in recovery programs will save money in the future, reducing by 75% the cost of repairing the damage caused by covid-19,” said UNESCO in its note.
The agency has asked countries to give priority in vaccination campaigns to the 100 million teachers and educators of the world, and recalls that governments pledged in October to protect education budgets and ensure the safe and progressive reopening of schools. schools.
Within the framework of International Education Day, Unesco has compiled some 80 country profiles detailing their financing policies and programs, added this Sunday to the World Education Monitoring Report.
The study “How committed are we? Unlocking funding for equity in education” highlights that if countries want to make education “inclusive and egalitarian” by 2030, they need to budget more for the pursuit of these goals, at least 4% of its gross domestic product.
The study “How committed are we? Unlocking funding for equity in education” highlights that if countries want to make education “inclusive and egalitarian” by 2030, they need to budget more for the pursuit of these goals, at least 4% of its gross domestic product.