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Ebola: Uganda’s schools were closed for two years during COVID, now they face more closures – something must change

Ebola: Uganda’s schools were closed for two years during COVID, now they face more closures – something must change

CHILDREN in Uganda missed out on more schools because of the COVID pandemic than their peers anywhere else in the world. An estimated 15 million pupils in the East African nation did not attend school for 83 weeks – that’s almost two years. Statistical models predict a learning deficit of 2.8 years in Uganda because of the time lost through COVID-related closures. Authors SIMONE DATZBERGER, Assistant Professor in Education and International Development, UCL MUSENZE JUNIOR BRIAN, PhD Fellow, Makerere Institute of Social Research, Makerere University Now the education system has been hit by another public health emergency. In early November…
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Uganda closed schools for two years – the impact is deep and uneven

Uganda closed schools for two years – the impact is deep and uneven

Uganda enforced the longest period of school closures worldwide – 22 months – during the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy was subject to scrutiny by many local and international organisations in view of the multiple challenges the country’s education sector already faced before the pandemic. Authors SIMONE DATZBERGER, Assistant Professor in Education and International Development, UCL AMIYA BHATIA, Assistant Professor in Social Epidemiology and Child Protection, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine JENNY PARKES, Professor in Education, Gender and International Development, UCL KAREN DEVRIES, Professor of Social Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Studies of the predicted and…
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COVID-19 widens learning gap for girls

COVID-19 widens learning gap for girls

JAMILA AKWELEY OKERTCHIRI Seventeen-year-old Muniratu Adams, a form two student of the Jeyiri D/A Junior High School at Funsi in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region of Ghana, is fortunate to have returned to school this January after the long COVID-19 shutdown. Ghana’s education sector was one of the hardest affected by the pandemic and for many girls, particularly those in rural areas, the consequences of school closures means many will never return to their schooling. “It was difficult for me to come back to school,” she tells IPS. “When I was home, I did not think…
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Tunisia closes schools until April 30

Tunisia closes schools until April 30

TUNISIA has announced the closure of all schools until April 30, as well as restrictions on movement, to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. A government spokeswoman said the situation was very serious, and that there would be a 7 p.m. curfew for cars. Intensive care units are near maximum capacity in most hospitals, officials said. With a population of around 11.5 million, Tunisia has recorded 9,639 deaths from almost 282,000 confirmed coronavirus infections.
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Securing the education of Kenya’s girls during COVID-19

Securing the education of Kenya’s girls during COVID-19

THE COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education in many countries. Similar to other epidemics – such as the Ebola crisis in West Africa which pushed about five million children out of school in 2013 – the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of schools in about 194 countries. BENTA A. ABUYA, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center In Kenya there was a nationwide closure of schools between March 2020 and January 2021. This disrupted the education of about 18 million learners, with a total of about 15 million children in primary and secondary schools. Evidence suggests that the disruptions…
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How to help your children with maths you don’t understand

How to help your children with maths you don’t understand

SCHOOL closures have left many parents in charge of overseeing their children’s education at home. If you are one of them, you might be struggling with maths in particular – not least due to having to grapple with topics and techniques you are unfamiliar with, such as number bonds, abundant numbers, chunking and more. DAVIDE PENAZZI, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Central Lancashire But this is where a positive mindset, and the ability to accept that you are also on a learning path, can help. Here are some tips on the best way to tackle teaching maths you don’t…
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‘Education emergency’ as third of world’s children lack remote learning

‘Education emergency’ as third of world’s children lack remote learning

NITA BHALLA ONE in three schoolchildren across the world have been unable to access remote learning during coronavirus school closures, the U.N. children's agency said on Thursday, warning of a "global education emergency". Nearly 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures as countries locked down to prevent the disease from spreading, UNICEF said in a report. Yet at least one in three students have had no way of continuing their education at home. "For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to COVID-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning," said UNICEF's Executive Director Henrietta…
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