Pandemic casts cloud on young people’s future

UNESCO PAINTS UNFLATTERING PICTURE OF EDUCATIONAL DIVIDE

School closures and the lack of smartphone and internet facilities among children amid the Covid-19 pandemic have worsened an educational divide in India, the UN cultural agency said, flagging risks to young people’s future.

About 248 million students were hit by school closures since March last year, UNESCO said in a report, though many states have started easing curbs.

Priced out of class

Nearly 70 per cent of students lacked smartphones or other devices to access classes online, while a majority grappled with poor internet, or none. Almost 40 per cent of parents could not afford internet costs, affecting learning, and so widening the educational gap, it added.

“Quality of education is the core challenge of the next decade,” it said.