The world’s schools are trying to adapt after the strong impact of COVID-19

The education sector has suffered the worst crisis in history over the past two years, with prolonged school closures, despite some progress in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

countries adapt

For UNESCO, the global disruption in education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is the worst educational crisis on record.

“However, a notable change is noticeable between December 2021 and January 2022: there are no more massive school closures, the States managed to stabilize a new crisis management model with the ability to keep schools open thanks to the adoption of reinforced and safe health protocols,” said UNESCO.

Countries like France, Brazil or Mexico They applied new measures such as distancing, closures on a case-by-case basis, in addition to traditional handwashing or the wearing of masks, UNESCO added.

Others like France, Canada or Italy have resorted to screening tests.

Schools are currently open in 135 countries. In addition, 25 countries decided at the beginning of the year to postpone the reopening of schools after the Christmas holidays. Twelve chose to close completely, compared to 40 who did so on the same date last year, according to the institution.

“The message that consists of saying that it is essential to leave schools open, from a social point of view and for the well-being of children, has worked at the level of the different States,” he congratulated.

The countries with the most school closures

In the last two years, the countries that have had schools closed the longest, that is, more than 60 weeks, are Bangladesh, Kuwait, the Philippines, Uganda and Venezuela.

If partial closures are taken into account, Uganda reached more than 60 weeks of total closure and 23 weeks of partial closure, while Bolivia reached 43 and 39 weeks, respectively, Nepal totaled 35 and 47 weeks and India 25 and 57 weeks.

The countries with the fewest closures

Four countries have not resorted to school closures in two years: Belarus, Burundi, Nauru and Tajikistan.

Another dozen have not resorted to full lockdown, including Russia, U.S and Australia. Oceania is the region that closed its educational centers the least.

France, with a total closure of seven weeks and a partial closure of five weeks, is among the 10% of countries that closed their schools the least.

The consequences

The more or less extensive closure of schools or higher education centers has dramatic consequences, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Certain regions of Brazil, Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Mexico, among others, experience substantial learning losses in math and reading.

According to UNESCO, by 2030 “no region of the world expects to achieve universal secondary education”, “educators consider that only a third of students will have basic skills in mathematics” and “33% of students will not have the ability to read a sentence at the end of primary school”.

In the long term, the generation of young people currently in school is at risk of losing almost US $ 17 billion in income due to the shortages caused by the closures of educational centers due to the pandemic, warned the World Bank and agencies of the HIM-HER-IT.

“The loss of learning for many children is morally unacceptable, and the potential increase in learning impoverishment could have a devastating impact on the future productivity, income and well-being of this generation of children and young people,” said Jaime Saavedra, director of education at the World Bank, cited in a report published in December.

The priority is “to bring all young people back to school, and especially girls in certain countries,” UNESCO said.