The United Nations chief has said the coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education in history.
School closures in more than 160 countries in mid-July have affected more than one billion students, it is claimed.
In addition, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that at least 40 million children worldwide have missed out on education “in their critical pre-school year”.
Last month, over 1 billion students were affected by #COVID19 school closures.
Even before the pandemic, the world was facing a learning crisis.
We must take bold steps now, to create inclusive, resilient, quality education systems fit for the future. https://t.co/fD4nwEkqUg pic.twitter.com/71ksZO2DHP
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 4, 2020
As a result, he warned that the world faces “a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities”.
“We are at a defining moment for the world’s children and young people,” Mr Guterres said in a video message and a 26-page policy briefing.
“The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come.”
Mr Guterres called for the reopening of schools once the local transmission of the virus is under control.
