June 8th was the day my daughter returned to school after the lockdown in France ended. Some of her school friends had already returned in May, with others choosing not to go back until school attendance became compulsory again. My daughter, was excited to see her teacher and friends. She was equally happy to get away from her parents-who-had-become-teachers and enjoy her final year of primary school- an experience which had certainly been interrupted.
20 million more secondary school-aged girls will not be returning to school post COVID-19 lockdown
As countries emerged from lockdown around the world, a recurring theme appeared. The chasm between children and their opportunities for learning was widening due to COVID-19, the pandemic and the subsequent financial crisis. Many children, especially girls and young women were not returning to their place of education. According to a recent report from Save The Children, 258 million children were already out of school prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. 130 million of these children were girls. The Malala Fund estimates an approximate 20 million more secondary school-aged girls will not be returning to school after the crisis has passed.
School represents a crucial organization in our lives. It is a place of learning languages, maths and science and also social skills, autonomy. For too many children, school is also a safe haven from a difficult home life, domestic violence or a guaranteed meal. For female students, an emphasis on school can also mean a delay in forced marriages, sexual violence and teenage pregnancies too. A brighter future altogether.
During the COVID 19 lockdown, many schools and educational institutions around the world took their teaching online. Zoom class calls and YouTube learning videos became the norm, however the experience and the learning has been far from uniform.
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What did we discover?
Beyond an opportunity to have a sneak peak into the homes of classmates on a webinar, the lack of resources has become evident. The US Federal Communications Commission reported 20 million Americans not having access to the internet. This being one of the richest countries in the world and yet a significant number of citizens lack a resource many of us take for granted in our daily lives.
Unfortunately, it is then easier to understand the paucity of resources and internet access for students in developing countries. The Save Our Education report references statistics from UNESCO, stating 500 million students were excluded from remote learning in their countries, with 465 million students not having internet access in their homes- a resource that is even less accessible to girls.
We have learnt of children particularly girls not returning to school post lockdown. “In a crisis like COVID-19, girls and young women are the first to be removed from school and the last to return,” said Malala Yousafzai, advocate of girls’ right to education.
Research is showing repeatedly, that the impact of COVID 19 is disproportionately higher on lower income families, minority racial groups, female children, developing countries. To understand the impact on education for girls, the Malala Fund, used school closures in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and reported the COVID 19 pandemic will have lasting effects for the most marginalised girls and adding further financial pressure on families.
Many families prioritized education for their children, however, in today’s post lockdown world, circumstances and plans for the future may be altogether different. Unemployment, or financial insecurity is translating into increasing numbers of children being forced into child labour. Sadly, the Malala Fund Report found post-Ebola, that once schools reopened, children who found work were rarely encouraged to return to school. A post-COVID-19 world is repeating that trend.
Governments, coping with the health and economic issues simultaneously and affected by a stalled tourism industry, a lack of foreign investment and low commodity prices are struggling to keep their economies afloat. Many are now considering a financial redirection from an already under-funded education towards other immediate societal demands.
An entire generation’s future is at stake
The importance of education cannot be stressed enough. The knowledge and skills learnt are what raises people out of poverty, empowers and even improves their health. With an entire generation of children worldwide affected by the missed school or not returning to education, their futures are dramatically and negatively impacted.
The entire world is responsible for ensuring the safety and improved circumstances of the youth of today. The Save The Children Report has identified 5 recommendations for governments and donors to aid the vulnerable and bring them back from the brink of their future disaster.
- Plan. Agree and implement a global COVID-19 action plan
- Invest. Commit to an increased funding for education
- Learn. Interventions should ensure the most marginalized children are learning
- Protect. Ensure all children are healthy, safe and well when they are out of school and when they return
- Progress. On implementation of the plan and finance committed to achieving it needs to be tracked
The recommendations are ambitious and require the buy-in from many sectors. The World Bank and IMF, the suspension of debt for developing countries. Raising additional funding through the taxation of multinational companies and its allocation to education and child welfare to aid the next generation.
The recommendations can also be distilled into bite-sized measures for communities to tackle on local levels. The Malala Fund’s Education Champions Network presents impressive examples with their educational programs created for the radio, national curriculum digitilised, advocating change of social norms and gender to bring girls back into school, training of community groups to monitor local schools and ensure these are safe environments, campaigning for free education and many more.
We can all hold ourselves responsible and accountable for the well-being of this generation of future scientists, artists, industry leaders, farmers, charity workers, teachers, idea generators. They deserve our support now in order to reach their potential.