The number of school-age children affected by school closures worldwide has risen from 232 to 320 million in the past month, according to figures from UN organization UNESCO, analyzed by UNICEF.
This means that the well-being and learning process of 90 million more children is under pressure.
The analysis also shows that 1 in 5 children worldwide cannot go to school from 1 December. Many governments still decide to close schools as a corona measure.
In October, the number of children sitting at home due to school closures decreased sharply.
“These new figures are alarming,” said Suzanne Laszlo, UNICEF director. “There are indications that primary schools, in particular, are not the main sources of infection.
Yet we are seeing a global trend of governments closing schools as a first resort and not as a last resort. For children, this continues to have devastating consequences for their learning, their mental and physical well-being and their safety.”
School closure should be a last resort, says the UN organization that works for children.