COVID-19: UNESCO wants “bold” measures to offset learning losses

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday (January 24) called for “bold” action to compensate for the learning loss caused by the closure of schools following the Govt-19 epidemic.

Thanks to the lessons learned over the past two years, most countries affected by the highly contagious Omicron variant have kept schools open with strengthened health regulations, although the Paris-based UN agency notes. For bold actions to offset learning losses “.

According to new data released by UNESCO, schools in most countries (135) have been reopened on International Education Day, while a small number (25) have been suspended. Annual vacation.

Since the emergence of the Omigron variant, only a dozen countries have decided to close schools and have switched to full-distance education rather than face-to-face, the organization said in a statement.

This difference is significant when compared to the same period of the previous year when schools in 40 countries were completely closed and education was completely out of reach.

“Education continues to be severely degraded by the epidemic, but all countries are now fully aware of the dramatic effects of UNESCO’s school closures over the past two years. The experience accumulated since vaccination and epidemic initiation is now at the forefront. Azole announced.

Dozens of countries, including Brazil, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Palestine and Ukraine, have surveyed and now use surveillance systems called “traffic lights” that trigger actions depending on the extent of the infection: wearing a mask, washing hands, ventilating and all students in the same establishment To be, to stay away from inside and out or to close classes based on each case. Countries such as Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom have also sought massive campaigns of rapid testing, citing the same source.

UNESCO points out that socio-psychological support, support for teachers and financial resources are needed to effectively establish these protocols, calling for serious efforts to allow teachers access to vaccines.

In almost a third of the countries, they are not yet considered a priority audience, we note.

According to a large-scale study conducted by UNESCO and the International Association for the Assessment of Academic Achievements in more than 50 countries, more than 50% of teachers say students have not reached the level expected in the past year, and most of them have difficulty providing the support they need to vulnerable students.

In addition, UNESCO says that more than 50% of the students surveyed are suffering from depression due to changes in their school.

Since the outbreak, UNESCO, through its 175-member Global Education Alliance, has intervened in more than 100 countries to ensure continuity of education.

Together with its partners, the company has set up digital platforms, teachers trained in the use of distance learning tools, and widely disseminated dematerialized educational content.