Children may never recoup losses from school closure: Unicef, Unesco

Children and young people may never be able to recoup the losses from not being able to attend school physically due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, top United Nations official warned recently. 

In a joint statement on Monday, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), and Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) chiefs has urged governments to prioritise reopening of schools, considering the devastating impact of school closure on children.

Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore and Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay's statement came ahead of the Global Education Meeting on Tuesday. They urged decisionmakers and governments to prioritise the safe reopening of schools to avoid a generational catastrophe. 

According to the statement, "As of today, primary and secondary schools are shuttered in 19 countries, affecting over 156 million students."

"This should not go on. Schools should be the last to close and the first to reopen," the UN officials urged.

To limit transmission, governments have too often shut down schools and kept them closed for prolonged periods, even when the epidemiological situation didn't warrant it. These actions were frequently taken as a first recourse rather than a last measure. In many cases, schools were closed while bars and restaurants remained open, they noted.

"The losses that children and young people will incur from not being in school may never be recouped. From learning loss, mental distress, exposure to violence and abuse, to missed school-based meals and vaccinations or reduced development of social skills, the consequences for children will be felt in their academic achievement and societal engagement as well as physical and mental health," they said.

The most affected are often children in low-resource settings who do not have access to remote learning tools, and the youngest children who are at key developmental stages.

Meanwhile, school closure is also affecting parents and caretakers of children. Keeping children at home is forcing parents around the world to leave their jobs, especially in countries with no or limited family leave policies.

"That's why reopening schools for in-person learning cannot wait," the statement demanded.

"It cannot wait for cases to go to zero. There are clear evidence that primary and secondary schools are not among the main drivers of transmission. Meanwhile, the risk of Covid-19 transmission in schools is manageable with appropriate mitigation strategies in most settings. The decision to open or close schools should be based on risk analysis and the epidemiological considerations in the communities where they are situated."

The statement also recommended not to wait for all teachers and students to be vaccinated before reopening schools. With the global vaccine shortages plaguing low and middle-income countries, vaccinating frontline workers and those most at risk of severe illness and death will remain a priority.