United Nations: The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef by its Spanish initals) today insists on the need to keep schools running or prioritize them in reopening plans, taking into account health measures.
As Covid-19 cases continue to rise around the world, the closure of teaching centers should be a measure of last resort, the UN agency said in a statement.
This year, Unicef ??expects the number of children out of school to increase by 24 million, a level not seen in years.
Many countries chose to keep schools closed, some for almost all of 2020, despite evidence that these institutions are not an engine for the spread of the pandemic, the text highlighted.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore called for every effort to be made to keep children in school as the pandemic continues into a second year.
The cost of closing those centers is devastating, she stressed, 90 percent of students worldwide faced that measure during 2020, and more than a third were left without access to remote education.
“Children’s ability to read, write and do basic math has suffered, and the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century economy have declined.”
In addition, Fore warned, keeping children at home puts their health, development, safety and well-being at risk, and the most vulnerable are the most affected.
Many children, without having access to school meals, go hungry and their nutrition worsens, she regretted and called for measures to be taken to face these problems and give more protection to children.
Without the safety net that schools often provide, many children are more vulnerable to abuse, marriage and child labor.
In the opinion of the UNICEF executive director, if minors face another year of school closures, the effects will be felt for generations to come.
