The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) have called for immediate coordinated action to improve learning for children in Eastern and Southern Africa in the COVID era.
The organisations made the call on the International Day of Education, which is commemorated on 24 January.
This year’s theme for the day is ‘Changing Course, Transforming Education.’
In a joint statement issued Monday, the two organisations stated that during the pre-pandemic period, the vast majority of African children were experiencing a widespread learning crisis, with COVID-19 only exacerbating the situation. It added that with coordinated vaccination and treatment efforts, the pandemic will be defeated, even though the learning loss it has caused will undoubtedly last much longer.
‘School gates must always be the last to close and the first to open, according to governments. Evidence in all of our countries has demonstrated that when schools close, children lose not only their learning progress, but also the safety of the school grounds, interactions with friends, a route to healthcare, and, all too often, their only nutritious meal of the day. Many governments throughout the region have made commendable efforts to keep schools open in a safe manner through strong Ministry of Health and Education collaboration and community partnerships,’ the statement said.
It also urged governments to honour their Paris Declaration commitments to devote at least 4 per cent of GDP, or 15 per cent of public spending, to education.
“We request that you increase social protection for the most vulnerable families as we know that when they receive adequate support, their children are more likely to return to school. We salute teachers as some of the most important frontline workers in the COVID era. We urge your employers to allocate additional resources to your learners, particularly the most vulnerable, and to adapt your teaching methods to the new context. We also strongly advise you to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if it is available,” said the statement.
It further urged children to take precautions at all times, understanding that they protect themselves and those they care about.
“To our private sector and development partners, we appeal to you to join us in overcoming this crisis and ensuring that 2022 is the year in which children are supported to make up for lost learning. We strongly urge you to significantly increase funding for distance learning modalities, including digital technology and innovation, in order to prevent learning gaps and prepare students for future jobs in an increasingly digital world,” the statement concluded.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
