25 Jan

UNESCO says 5.5 months, or about two-thirds, of an academic year were lost on average worldwide due to school closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

The UN agency released a report on Sunday, the International Day of Education.

The report says the duration of closures varied greatly by region, from as many as 5 months of complete nationwide closures on average in Latin American and Caribbean countries, to 2.5 months in Europe, to just one month in Oceania.

UNESCO says, "One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, over 800 million students, more than half the world's student population, still face significant disruptions to their education."

The agency says there were full school closures in 31 countries and reduced or part-time academic schedules in another 48 countries.

It estimates that the education sector receives only 0.78 percent of relief packages worldwide, and that aid to education will likely decline further.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is urging governments around the world to increase financial aid to the education sector. She stresses that education is a global common good that should be prioritized.

NHK