The report, “Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures” states that, Schools were or are still closed in 1 in 3 countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic have not yet implemented remedial programmes to mitigate learning loss. At the same time, only 1/3rd of countries are taking steps to measure learning losses in primary and lower second levels, mostly among high-income countries .
i.The report was released jointly by 4 United Nations (UN) Organisations – UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
ii.For the report, a total of 142 countries were surveyed between February to May 2021 among 4 schooling groups – pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary.
Recommendations & Findings of the Report:
i.Schools should be opened at the earliest to ease-out psychological displeasure faced among young childrens and minimize dropouts.
ii.Countries should work on improving girls centric policies to ensure their safe return to school
iii.Low-income countries lag in implementing most basic sanitation measures, struggling to ensure children’s safe return to school.
iv.Remote Learning (Radio & TV broadcasts) became popular among low-income countries, which acts as a lifeline for many childrens among vulnerable groups
Recent Related News:
As per the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States & UTs released by the Ministry of Education – Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands & Kerala occupied the highest grade (Grade I ++) for 2019-20
Static Takeaway:
| Points | UNICEF | UNESCO | World Bank | OECD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Henrietta H. Fore (Executive Director) | Audrey Azoulay (Director-General) | David Malpass (President) | Mathias Cormann (Secretary-General) |
| Headquarters | New York, USA | Paris, France | Washington, DC, USA | Paris, France |
| Established Year | 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1961 |
