Human Development Backslides, Education at Global Levels ‘Not Seen Since The 1980s’

(United Nations News) School closures, to stem the spread of the , have left some 60 per cent of the world’s children without an education, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in its new report, launched on Wednesday.

Human Development Perspectives COVID-19: Assessing the impact, envisioning the recovery, estimates the percentage of primary school-age children who are not getting any schooling, adjusted to reflect those without Internet access, is now at “global levels not seen since the 1980s”.

With classrooms shuttered and stark divides in access to online learning, UNDP assessments show that 86 per cent of children in primary education are now effectively out-of-school in countries with low human development, compared with just 20 per cent in countries with very high levels of development. 

However, hope is within reach for countries to close the yawning education gap, by providing more equitable Internet access.

Risk of decline

Education is just one of the measurements used to assess global human development, combined with health and living standards.

UNDP pointed out that for the first time since the concept was introduced in 1990, the world teeters on the verge of going backwards, during the course of this year.

Read more at: United Nations News

Source: CARICOM TODAY

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