The COVID-19 pandemic may have officially ended, but for children worldwide, years of learning have been lost due to school closures, with little hope of recovery. Things are especially bad for primary-school-aged pupils who have drifted even further back than their older peers.
But school closures have also had dire consequences on children’s social and emotional health, leading to increased reports of depression, isolation, and higher rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
Pre-pandemic, the World Bank estimated that 57% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries — and up to 90% in some parts of Africa — could not read or understand a simple sentence. That figure, dubbed “learning poverty,” could now be as high as 70% thanks to COVID-19, the lender says.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
