Third of world’s schoolchildren ‘unable to access remote learning’

Reported by BBC News

With all the talk of returning children safely to school, startling statistics from the UN children’s agency indicate just how important getting back to the classroom will be. At least one third of the world’s schoolchildren – some 463 million – were unable to access any remote learning in the months when Covid-19 shuttered their schools, Unicef says in a new report.

The report reveals the limitations of remote learning for those children who do not have access to the necessary technology – and for those in countries that did not respond adequately to the situation. It also found significant inequalities across the world, with at least half of all schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa unable to access remote learning.

“The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global emergency,” said Henrietta Fore, Unicef’s executive director. “The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come.”

COVID-19: At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren unable to access remote learning during school closures, new report says.

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