Over 10 million kids may permanently drop out of school due to the pandemic, a new report claims

National news
National news

Coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. Most businesses still remain shut or disrupted, and educational institutions are also finding it challenging to reopen amid safety concerns.

A British charity named Save The Children on Monday warned of an “unprecedented education emergency”, which would jeopardise the education of over 9.7 million kids, who may never return to school.

Citing data by UNESCO, the charity showed how in April 2020, over 1.6 billion students had lost access to schools and universities in a bid to counter the coronavirus crisis. This was a big number, for it refers to 90 per cent of the global student population.

Citing data by UNESCO, the charity showed how in April 2020, over 1.6 billion students had lost access to schools and universities in a bid to counter the coronavirus crisis. This was a big number, for it refers to 90 per cent of the global student population.

Based on economical and social factors, the report claimed that a whopping 9.7 million children will drop out of school permanently. They took into account the fact that more kids will now be pushed into informal unemployment, and girls may be forced to marry in many situations.

The coronavirus pandemic could also cause $77 billion worth of losses in the education sector and less stipulation in the budget, accelerating the crisis in the low and middle income countries by the end of 2021.

“Around 10 million children may never return to school, this is an unprecedented education emergency and governments must urgently invest in learning,” the charity’s chief executive Inger Ashing said.

The inequality between male and female students is also expected to spike.” Instead we are at risk of unparalleled budget cuts which will see existing inequality explode between the rich and the poor, and between boys and girls”, it said.

In the report, the charity also stressed on the need to urgently pump more money into the education sector, to ensure kids return to schools, especially in developing countries.

“We know the poorest, most marginalised children who were already the furthest behind have suffered the greatest loss, with no access to distance learning – or any kind of education – for half an academic year,” Ashing added.

The charity also suggested the nullification of debt repayments by poor countries, which would “free up” $14 billion for pumping money into education programmes across the globe.

“If we allow this education crisis to unfold, the impact on children’s futures will be long lasting. The promise the world has made to ensure all children have access to a quality education by 2030, will be set back by years,” Ashing said.

According to the report, the kids in following countries are at the most risk: Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, Mali, Liberia, Mauritania, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Senegal.


  • Sign up
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.