New Delhi (NVI): A third of the world’s schoolchildren, around 463 million globally – were unable to access remote learning as schools closed due to COVID-19, according to a UNICEF report.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) new report outlines the limitations of remote learning and exposes deep inequalities in access. “For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to COVID-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

“The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency. The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come,” Fore added.

During the period of nationwide and local lockdowns, around 1.5 billion schoolchildren were affected by school closures.

The report, based on a globally representative analysis on the availability of home-based remote learning technology and tools for children from pre-primary to upper-secondary levels, also found that even when children had the necessary platforms, they may not have been able to learn remotely due to competing factors at home.

The competing factors could include pressure to do chores, being forced to work, a poor environment for learning, and lack of support in using the online or broadcast curriculum, the UN agency said.

UNICEF report used data from 100 countries, which included access to television, radio and internet, and the availability of curriculum delivered across these platforms during school closures.

It also highlights significant inequality across regions, schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa are the most affected, where at least half of all students cannot be reached with remote learning.

While schoolchildren from the poorest households and those living in rural areas are by far the most likely to miss out during closures, globally, 72 per cent children were unable to access remote learning belonging from the poorest households in their countries.

In upper-middle-income countries, schoolchildren from the poorest households account for up to 86 per cent of students unable to access remote learning.

Age groups also had an impact, with the youngest students most likely to miss out on learning during their most critical years of learning and development.

According to the report, at least 70 per cent of children of pre-primary age were affected by school closures largely due to limitations to online learning, lack of remote learning programmes for this education category, and lack of home assets for remote learning.

Whereas, the least likely to miss out on remote learning were upper-secondary schoolchildren with at least 18 per cent – 48 million children – not having the technological assets to access learning.

However, UNICEF urged governments to prioritise the safe re-opening of schools when they begin easing lockdown restrictions along with urgent investment to bridge the digital divide.

“When reopening is not possible, we urge governments to incorporate compensatory learning for lost instructional time into school continuity and reopening plans,” said the UN agency, adding that school opening policies and practices must include expanding access to education, including remote learning, especially for marginalized groups.

Alongside, education systems must be adapted and built to withstand future crises, it added.

-RJV