In India, over 32 crore students hit by Covid-19 as schools and colleges are shut: UNESCO

More than 157 crore students across 191 countries severely impacted by closure of educational institutions due to coronavirus, says UNESCO report.

School students pass by the BJP headquarters (representational image) | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

New Delhi: Over 91 per cent of the world’s student population has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the latest UNESCO report on education reveals.

Schools and higher educational institutions have been shut down in several countries affected by Covid-19 to curb the spread of the infection. According to the UNESCO report, this has impacted more than 157 crore students across 191 countries.

In India, more than 32 crore students have been affected by the various restrictions and the nationwide lockdown, which was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March.

The report notes that students from classes 9 to 12 were most severely impacted by this lockdown. More than 13 crore children fall in this bracket in India, which is also the level at which students write the board exams. 

“Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. These nationwide closures are impacting over 91 percent of the world’s student population,” the report released Wednesday said.

It also said several countries have implemented localised closures impacting millions of additional learners. 

Board, college exams postponed due to lockdown

In India, schools and colleges have been shut for over a month now to restrict the spread of Covid-19.

All educational institutions in the country will remain closed till 3 May, after Prime Minister Modi Tuesday extended the nationwide lockdown by 19 days.

This has affected academic activities at various levels, including the postponement of board exams, college exams and even entrance exams such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for engineering and National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for medical, among others.

Online classes are being held during this period and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has made several arrangements, including online portals and educational channels through Direct to Home TV, for students to continue learning. 

The government is waiting for the lockdown to get over to announce new dates for the pending board exams, college exams and entrance exams.