School closures must be “avoided wherever possible,” UNICEF says
Despite the rise In cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant COVID-19, nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible, said Henrietta Fore, Director – General of the United Nations Children ‘s Fund (UNICEF)
“As the spread of COVID-19 in the community increases and strict public health measures are necessary, schools must be the last places to close and reopen,” Henrietta Fore argued.
New cases are increasingly powered by Omicron; a new concern that public health experts and scientists are working hard to understand and assess.
In the midst of growing uncertainty, many governments are wondering whether schools should be kept open.
Fore said one thing was certain: “Another widespread wave of school closures would be devastating for children.”
Fore said the “evidence is clear,” and protracted nationwide school closures that would result in limited resources for students, teachers, and parents – and a lack of distance learning – would have serious consequences.
“[These closures] have wiped out decades of progress in education and made childhood unrecognizable. The shadow pandemic of child labor, child marriages and mental health problems has taken over, ”Fore said.
According to the UNICEF chief, in addition to losing their learning, children’s safety has also deteriorated as they have been left out of the school environment, missing out on daily personal interactions with friends, access to health care and all too often the only nutritious meal of the day. .
According to a UN agency, this generation of schoolchildren could together lose $ 17 trillion in potential lifetime income.
Addressing this challenge, Fore said “school mitigation measures are effective” and authorities “must use this information to do their utmost” to keep schools open.
“Member States also need to increase investment in digital connections to ensure that children are not left behind,” he added.
Fore concluded by stating that “2022 cannot be another year of disrupted learning.”
“This must be a year when education and the best interests of the children are a priority,” he added.
Source: ANI