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UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and the World Bank have issued new guidelines on the safe reopening of schools amid continued closures affecting nearly 1.3 billion students worldwide.
Agencies also warned Thursday that the widespread closure of educational facilities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented risk to the education and well-being of children, particularly for the most marginalized children who depend on school for their education, health, safety and nutrition. .
The guidelines offer practical advice to national and local authorities on how to keep children safe when they return to school.
“Increasing inequality, poor health outcomes, violence, child labor and child marriage are just some of the long-term threats to children who miss school,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s executive director.
“We know that the longer children stay out of school, the less likely they are to return. Unless we prioritize reopening schools, when it is safe to do so, we are likely to see a devastating reversal in educational achievement. ”
The new guidelines point out that while there is not yet enough evidence to measure the impact of school closings on disease transmission rates, the adverse effects of school closings on children’s safety and learning are well documented.
Advances made by increasing children’s access to education in recent decades run the risk of being lost and, in the worst case, completely reversed.
“In the poorest countries, children often depend on schools for their only meal of the day. But with many schools closed due to Covid-19, 370 million children are missing out on these nutritious meals that are a livelihood for poor families.
“They are also denied the health support they normally receive at school. This could cause lasting damage, so when schools are reopened it is critical that these food and health programs be restored, which can also help attract the most vulnerable children to school, “said David Beasley , Executive Director of WFP.
Children’s best interests and general public health considerations, based on an assessment of the associated benefits and risks to education, public health and socio-economic factors, should be central to the decisions of national and local authorities to reopen schools according to guidelines.
Schools must see how they can reopen better, with improved learning and more comprehensive support for children in school, including health, nutrition, psychosocial support, and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
As countries grapple with when to reopen schools, UNESCO, UNICEF, WFP and the World Bank, as part of the Global Education Coalition, urge governments to assess the benefits of classroom teaching compared to remote learning, and risk factors related to reopening schools, pointing to inconclusive evidence about infection risks related to school attendance.
“While many students are lagging on their learning journey due to the prolonged closure of schools, deciding when and how to reopen schools, while far from direct, must be a priority. Once there is a green light on the health front, it will be necessary to implement a comprehensive set of measures to ensure that no student is left behind.
“These guidelines provide a comprehensive guide for governments and partners to facilitate the reopening of schools for students, teachers, and families. We share one goal: to protect and promote the right to education for all students, ”said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
