No education for many children during lockdown

HUMAN Rights Watch (HRW) has called on governments to get children back to school once Covid-19 is under control at a local level.

The international organisation made the call after its research showed that school closures caused by the pandemic exacerbated inequalities and that children who were most at risk of being excluded from a quality education were most affected.

Between April and August, the organisation said it conducted 57 remote interviews with students, parents, teachers and education officials across several African countries, including Cameroon, the DRC, South Africa and Zambia, to learn about the effects of the pandemic on children’s education.

The research showed that many children received no education after schools closed across the continent in March as many countries implemented lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The director of an NGO in Madagascar that provides education and alternative care services to children who were previously homeless and either orphaned or unable to live with their parents said children accommodated with host families “did not have any education during the closure”.

According to HRW, many children received no instruction, feedback or interaction with their teachers.

The research revealed that many students shared feelings of stress, anxiety, isolation and depression, which they linked to the lack of contact with their school community.

Meanwhile, many parents are burdened by costs associated with trying to continue educating their children during school closures.

“Primary school is supposed to be free in Cameroon, but it is not.

“There are always contributions,” a father of four in Cameroon said. |