UNICEF report claims lockdown in India impacted education of over 247mn school children

On Tuesday, a report released by UNICEF revealed that the Coronavirus pandemic in India and the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the disease has impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary education, besides 28 million children who were undergoing pre-school education in Anganwadi centres.

'School closures have impacted 247 million children' 

According to the report Lives Upended, at least 600 million South Asian children have been threatened by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. "In India, school closures have impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary education. It has impacted about 28 million children who were attending pre-school education in Anganwadi centres. This is in addition to more than six million girls and boys who were already out of school prior to the COVID-19 crisis," the report said.

The report has also highlighted the efforts done by the central and state government to continue education for children through multiple e-platforms like web portals, mobile apps, TV channels, radio and podcasts to reach children, Diksha platform, Swayam Prabha TV channels, e-Pathshala and the National Repository of Open Educational Resources.

In the wake of COVID-19 lockdown, recently, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has prepared an alternative academic calendar for classes 1 to 12 with suggested activities to guide learning at home, according to ANI.

The UNICEF report has indicated that approximately only a quarter of households (24%) in India have access to the internet and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide. A large number of children are likely to miss out on distant learning opportunities, the report said. 

'Bulk of these deaths would occur in India & Pak'

The reports also flag the negative impact of the COVID-related disruption to vaccination, nutrition and other vital health services.

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Quoting research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, it said, "In the worst-case scenario, South Asia could see the additional deaths of as many as 881,000 children aged 5 or under and that of 36,000 mothers over the next twelve months. The bulk of these deaths would occur in India and Pakistan, although Bangladesh and Afghanistan could also see significant levels of additional mortality."

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The report also noted that life-saving vaccination campaigns against measles, polio and other diseases must resume, as should work to help the estimated 7.7 million children who suffer from severe wasting. The report said India has made steady progress in newborn mortality reduction in the last five years before COVID-19, reducing the NMR from 26 in 2014 to 23 in 2017, saving about 75,000 newborn lives each year (source Sample Registration Survey).

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"There is a danger of losing some of these gains made due to the impact of COVID -19 on health systems. Extra efforts will be needed in districts that are in the states with low social development indices," it said.

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(With PTI inputs)