KARACHI: According to UNESCO calculations more than 1.5 billion students in 165 countries are affected due to COVID-19 school closures.
In order to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and youth who are most at risk, UNESCO is launching a global education Coalition.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, while noting that presently 87% of the world’s student population is affected by COVID-19 school closures, stated: “Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a scale.
“Partnership is the only way forward. This Coalition is a call for coordinated and innovative action to unlock solutions that will not only support learners and teachers now, but through the recovery process, with a principle focus on inclusion and equity.”
UN High Commission for Refugees Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, who partnered with UNESCO in the establishment of the Coalition, noted: “We must speed up the ways we share experience, and help the most vulnerable, whether or not they have internet access.”
UNESCO, noting that COVID-19 school closures had disproportionately hurt vulnerable and disadvantaged students who rely on schools for a range of social services, including health and nutrition, stated that equity was the paramount concern and maintained: “Since closing schools to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, governments had been deploying distance learning solutions and grappling with the complexity of provisioning education remotely, from delivering content and supporting teachers to providing guidance to families and addressing connectivity challenges.”
Amina Mohamed, UN Deputy Secretary General, expressing the UN’s full commitment to the Coalition, warned that “for millions of children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, school closures could mean the loss of a vital safety net – of nutrition, protection and emotional support…This is not a time to deepen inequalities. It is a time to invest in education’s power to transform. As we embark on the decade of action of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, our responsibility as a global community is to leave absolutely no one behind.”
It is pertinent to mention here that in order to alleviate the adverse impacts of school closures (in particular for the most disadvantaged) multilateral partners, including the ILO, the UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, WB the World Food Programme and the International Telecommunication Union, as well as the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait, the OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and ADB have joined the Coalition. The private sector, including, Microsoft, GSMA, Weidong, Google, Facebook, Zoom, KPMG and Coursera have also joined the Coalition, contributing resources and their expertise around technology, notably connectivity, and capacity strengthening. Companies using learner and educational data have committed to uphold ethical standards. Philanthropic and non-profit organizations, including Khan Academy, Dubai Cares, Profuturo and Sesame Street are also part of the Coalition, mobilizing their resources and services to support schools, teachers, students and parents.
Newspakistan.tv | YouTube Channel
