100 Million More Children Fail Basic Reading Skills Because Of COVID-19

A new study released on Friday by the UN cultural agency, revealsthat more than 100 millionmore children than expected, are falling behind the minimum proficiency level in reading, due to COVID-related school closures.

According to the study from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),One year into COVID: Prioritizing education recovery to avoid a generational catastrophe,even before thepandemic the number of childrenlacking basic reading skillswas on a downward curve.

In 2020, instead of 460 million children experiencing reading difficulties, that number jumped to 584 million. The rise of more than 20 per cent,wiped out two decades of education gains, the agency said.

Learning losses

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, complete orpartialclosures have disrupted schooling for an average of 25 weeks, says the report, with the highest learning losses projected to be intheLatin America and Caribbeanregion, andinCentral and Southern Asia.

While One year into COVID finds that a return to the pre-pandemic pathwaymaytakeadecade, it underscores that recovery could occur by 2024 “if exceptional efforts aremadetoprovideremedialclassesand catch-up strategies”.

According to new data from ajoint survey conducted by UNESCO and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF),only a quarter of students are benefiting fromremedial education.

Opening doors

While the number of students impacted by school closures has not significantly changed since the beginning of the pandemic,countries are increasingly taking measures tokeep schools at least partiallyopen.

The report shows that schools are currently fully open in 107 countries, mostly in Africa, Asia andEurope, serving400 millionpre-primaryto secondarylearners.

Meanwhile, school closures in 30 countries are impacting some 165 million students.

At the same time, schools in 70 countries are partially open in various regions, for some grades, or with reduced in-person attendance – affectingabout two-thirds of theglobalstudent population,or nearly one billionlearners.

Prioritizing education

To tackle what UNESCO has called a potential “generational catastrophe”, it is calling for schools to reopen with greater support for teachers; initiatives to prevent pupils dropping out, and an acceleration of the availability of digital learning tools.

Although the recovery must prioritize schoolingto mitigate drop out rates, and learning losses, estimates show that 65 per cent of governments in low income countries have reducededucation funding, compared to 35 per cent in high incomeStates.

While fiscalmeasurescould inject more resources into learning, UNESCO calculates that only two per cent of stimulationpackages have earmarked money for education.

Taking stock

On Monday, UNESCOwill convene a meeting with education ministers from all over the worldto evaluate COVID-19 learning disruptions and figure out solutions on how to prioritize education recovery to avoid a generational catastrophe.

The high-level event will also showcasethe achievements of UNESCO’sGlobal Education Coalition and share its first progress report card.

Launched one year agoto support learning continuity, the Coalitionhas170 public, private and civil society partners in some 100 countries.

At least400 million learnersand12 millionteachersare benefitting directly or indirectly from the Coalition’s actions, includingthrough access to newly establishedonline platforms, educational resources,digitized curriculaand training, according to UNESCO.

© Scoop Media