130 million children remain out of school in 22 countries

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The Covid-19 pandemic, compounded by extreme weather events in several countries, Save the Children insists, has created a learning gap that has deepened over time.

Five years after the start of the crisis, the aid agency relayed in a recently-published analysis, at least 130 million children in 22 of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic remain excluded from education, primarily because of prolonged school closures. 

Closures as long as two years

Save the Children's analysis of access to education in the 30 countries that faced prolonged school closures due to the pandemic revealed that many children have repeatedly seen their schools shut down since January 2022.

Yet, the aid organization highlighted, how in countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Honduras, these closures were all linked to the impacts of the climate crisis, including floods and heat waves.

Long term effects on children's education

The shutdown of schools to curb the virus, which began in March 2020, Save the Children observed, had long-term effects on children’s education.

Data, it noted, shows that in countries where schools were closed for longer periods, children experienced the most significant learning losses. 

The Philippines, in particular, it explained, experienced one of the longest school lockdowns during the pandemic. According to UNESCO, schools in the country,  between early 2020 and March 2022, remained closed for over 520 school days

Climate crisis causing disruptions globally

Since then, it highlighted, around 28 million students have also faced additional disruptions due to the climate crisis, with many children aged eight and older unable to attend school first because of COVID-19 and later due to 15 extreme weather events, such as the scorching heatwave of 2024 and Typhoon Trami last October.

A government study, Save the Children acknowledged, found that students lost 32 school days during the 2023-2024 academic year due to severe weather conditions.

Ongoing risks

Globally, between early 2022 and June 2024, Save the Children's analysis noted, 404 million children in 81 countries experienced disruptions in education due to the climate crisis.

Schools affected by these events were forced to close, causing, in some cases, an average loss of 28 teaching days.

Furthermore, the frequency of extreme weather events and natural disasters impacting education, the agency warned, is expected to increase, with half of the world’s children facing extreme risk from climate disasters.

Remote learning does not resolve the issue

Although remote learning can help, the United Nations estimated that two-thirds of school-aged children worldwide do not have internet access at home.

"Many children who repeatedly miss school," Save the Children stated, "struggle to catch up, increasing the likelihood of dropping out." 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Save the Children provided remote learning materials such as books and home-learning kits to support students during school closures, and likewise, the aid organization engaged in, and remains engaged in, several organizations "to strengthen the resilience and value of education in the face of climate change and environmental degradation."