- Prior to the pandemic, 57% of 10-year-olds in low and middle-income countries could not read properly, but this has increased to an estimated 70%
- The effects of the learning losses could be lifelong, leading to $21 trillion lost due to lower lifetime earnings
- Existing education inequalities have only worsened due to the closures; learning losses in lower income countries are significantly worse than those in rich countries
- Even under a “best-case” scenario, students made “little or no progress” during remote learning; students had a learning loss equivalent to one-fifth of a school year, and learning losses were up to 60% greater among students from less-educated homes
- With children still reeling from the educational, physical and social-emotional effects of school closures, data now show that their suffering is in vain, because the closures did little to influence COVID-19
Source: Learning Deficit Due to Shutdowns Has Been a Global Disaster