Kathmandu: India and neighbors must completely reopen the school to overcome the education disconnected more than 400 million children whose classrooms are closed by the Pandemic Coronavirus, said UNICEF Thursday, with official warnings for the consequences of being tens of years.
Schools in Bangladesh are closed for almost 18 months, one of the longest closures in the world, said the UN Child Agency, while schools in other South Asian countries were closed for an average of 31.5 weeks between March 2020 and August this year .
“This happens in a region where there is no strong condition for distance learning,” George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director of UNICEF for South Asia, told AFP.
“Access to the Internet and the device is very uneven.
And we see severe learning shortcomings, especially among the poor and girls because often boys are more trusted with technology.” One study in India, quoted in the report, shows that the proportion of grade 3 children who can read class 1 level text down from around 42 percent in 2018 to only 24 percent in 2020.
Because out of school also causes psychosocial students in trouble, mental health The poor and increased risk of violence.
Girls at high risk of early marriage.
The UNICEF report asked the government in South Asia to continue learning safely and ensure that students pursue behind, and increase connectivity.
“The cost of not act will be a weaker workforce in a few years, will be displayed,” said Laryea-Adjei.
“The consequence will be long-term.” According to UNESCO databases, schools in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan only remain open in part, while they are in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are fully open.
The report also warned that children’s death projected increased due to a pandemic disorder to health services had left millions of children without vaccines that save lives.