AS the world marked 100 weeks into the pandemic, experts from the United Nations and the World Bank warned that keeping schools closed will cost more than opening them.
This point was made clear in a blog by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini; United Nations Children’s Fund Programme Division, Education and Associate Director Robert Jenkins; and World Bank’s Education Global Practice Global Director Jaime Saavedra.
On average, the experts said, school children have already lost 2 trillion hours of in-person instruction since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. This has significantly affected learning outcomes, especially among children.
“The costs of closing schools outweigh the risks of keeping schools open. Evidence suggests that with strategies to minimize transmission in place, schools are not a driver of community transmission, nor are they high-risk environments for staff,” the experts said.
“Mitigation measures like improved ventilation, physical distancing and mask-wearing when appropriate can help reduce transmission in schools,” they added.
The experts shared Unicef data that a maximum of 15 percent of 10-year, olds in countries like the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have foundational skills.
These countries also recorded the longest number of weeks where schools were fully closed. This data showed that among these countries, the Philippines recorded the longest number of weeks where schools were fully closed.
Between February 17, 2020 and January 16, 2022, schools in the Philippines have been fully closed for over 60 weeks; followed by Myanmar where schools have been closed for nearly 60 weeks; and Cambodia, a little over 40 weeks.
“Collectively, we need to make education and learning a political priority. We must reopen schools, keep them open and support learning recovery. We cannot afford to lose this generation of kids. Our future depends on it,” they said.
In a forthcoming report based on a review of countries’ school sanitation protocols, the expert said Unesco provided recommendations on how to keep schools open.
Unesco said these include implementing safety protocols that are urgently needed; simple and agile protection frameworks and traffic light systems reflecting transmission; and clearly communicated plans that are continuously reassessed based on evidence.
The UN agency also said data-driven pandemic recovery agendas and learning recovery plans and defined strategies for teacher preparation, retention, motivation, and well-being are crucial.
“Once schools are open, action is needed to get all children to return and re-engage with learning. This includes identifying barriers preventing children from returning to the classroom and finding ways to overcome them,” the
experts said.
Last year, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the Philippine economy will take a decade to go back to its prepandemic growth path due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the lockdowns.
In a statement on Saturday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by the government are expected to cost the Philippine economy a total of P41.4 trillion in the next 40 years.
Neda estimated that in 2020, the economy lost P4.3 trillion and is expected to continue to lose another P37 trillion in the next 10 to 40 years.
The total losses are P4.5 trillion in consumption; P21.34 trillion in private investment and returns; and P15.528 trillion in human capital investment and returns.
