As nearly 1.2 billion schoolchildren remain affected by school closures and as they grapple with the realities of remote learning in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF warns inherent inequalities in access to tools and technology threaten to deepen the global learning crisis.
“Access to the technology and materials needed to continue learning while schools are closed is desperately unequal. Likewise, children with limited learning support at home have almost no means to support their education. Providing a range of learning tools and accelerating access to the internet for every school and every child is critical,” said UNICEF Chief of Education Robert Jenkins.
“A learning crisis already existed before COVID-19 hit. We are now looking at an even more divisive and deepening education crisis.”
LATEST DATA ON ACCESS TO REMOTE LEARNING:
Internet
In 71 countries worldwide, less than half the population has access to the internet. Despite this disparity, 73 per cent of governments out of 127 reporting countries are using online platforms to deliver education while schools remain closed. In reporting countries across Latin America and the Caribbean region 90 percent of government continuity learning responses include online platforms.
In the majority of countries across Africa less than a quarter of the population has internet access.
UNICEF data from 14 countries revealed that schoolchildren with internet access at home have higher foundational reading skills than children who do not have access.
Television
Despite disparities in ownership, television is the main channel used by governments to deliver remote learning, with 3 in 4 governments out of 127 reporting countries using television as a source of education for children. More than 90 per cent of countries in Europe and Central Asia use television as a means of delivering remote learning, and 100 per cent of countries in South Asia. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 77 per cent of countries are delivering education programmes through national TV channels.
In 40 out of the 88 countries with data, children living in urban households are at least twice as likely to have a TV than children in rural households. The largest disparities are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Radio
Radio is the third most-used platform by governments to deliver education while schools are closed, with 60 per cent of 127 reporting countries using this method. Radio ownership across and within regions varies widely. Only 1 in 5 households in South Asia own a radio, compared to 3 in 4 households in Latin America and the Caribbean.
SMS/Mobile/Social Media
More than half of countries are using SMS, mobile or social media as an alternate education delivery system, with 74 per cent of reporting countries in Europe and Central Asia using these methods. Around half of 127 reporting countries are offering printed, take-home resources and only 11 per cent are offering home visits.
Electricity
Vast inequities exist between the richest and the poorest households. Almost all technologies used to deliver education while schools remain closed require electricity. Yet, in the 28 countries with data, only 65 per cent of households from the poorest quintile have electricity, compared to 98 per cent of households from the wealthiest quintile.
In seven countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Lesotho, Kiribati, Sudan, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania less than 10 per cent of the poorest households have electricity.
Commonwealth progress on access to remote learning:
Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit, education systems in many countries have rapidly transformed to support children with remote learning including:
In countries across West and Central Africa including Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, governments are working with local service providers to deliver education for primary and lower secondary age children online or though radio, TV, and paper-based approaches.
In Jamaica, the Ministry of Education is providing lessons at all levels through national public television, radio, online platforms, and WhatsApp. Work is also underway to organize access for 210 of most vulnerable students to tablets equipped with connectivity and content to facilitate ongoing schooling.
In Bangladesh, UNICEF, the Government and Access to Information, children in primary and secondary levels are accessing lessons through televised recorded classes.
Unicef UK’s Save Generation Covid appeal is supporting our response to children and families impacted by Coronavirus across the world. Visit HERE to donate and help #GenerationCovid.
ABOUT UNICEF
UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Photo Credit: UNICEF
