Millions of children hit by pandemic in India: UNICEF

A new report by UNICEF has revealed that about 247 million children in India, enrolled in elementary and secondary schools, have been affected by the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. The report calls for immediate steps to reopen schools safely because "the longer children stay out of school, the more vulnerable they become, with less chances of returning to school."

New Delhi: Closure of 1.5 million schools in India due to the pandemic and lockdowns in 2020 has impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools, said United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday.

It further said that there are over six million girls and boys who were already out of school even before the Covid-19 crisis began.

According to the latest study conducted by UNICEF, more than 888 million children worldwide continue to face disruptions to their education due to full and partial school closure.

"In India, online education is not an option for all as only one in four children has access to digital devices and internet connectivity. Pre-Covid, only a quarter of households (24 percent) in India had access to the internet and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide," UNICEF said.

To date in India, only eight states and UTs have opened classes from class 1 to 12, 11 states have reopened classes 6-12 and 15 states have only opened classes 9-12. "Three states have reopened Anganwadi centres, with younger children losing out greatly on crucial foundational learning," the study said.

"It has been nearly a year since the pandemic caused schools to close and disrupt the normal routine of children throughout India. We know that the longer children stay out of school, the more vulnerable they become, with less chances of returning to school. Any decision to reopen schools is made with the best interests of children in mind and as schools re-open in a staggered manner with children returning to their classrooms, we must strive to support them in catching up on the learning they have missed," said Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India representative.

Haque said that this is especially true for those who were not able to access digital or remote learning opportunities.

"Further, the mental well being of children is a crucial concern. Psycho-social from teachers, parents and caregivers is a priority," said Haque.

The UNICEF study further said that schools for more than 168 million children globally have been completely closed for almost an entire year due to Covid-19 lockdown. Furthermore, around 214 million children globally -or 1 in 7- have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning.

The analysis of the school closure report notes that 14 countries worldwide have remained largely closed from March 2020 to February 2021.

"Two-thirds of those countries are in Latin America and the Caribean, affecting nearly 98 million schoolchildren. Of the 14 countries, Panama has kept schools closed for the most days, followed by EI Salvador, Bangladesh and Bolivia," the UNICEF said in its study.