Remote learning still a challenge for 200 million children across globe

New Delhi: More than 200 million school children spread across 31 low income countries will remain out of the ambit of remote learning if in future emergency situations like COVID 19 induced lockdown forces school closures, a report by UNICEF pointed out.

Remote learning is where the student and the educator, or information source, are not physically present in a traditional classroom environment. Information is relayed through technology, such as discussion boards, video conferencing, and online assessments

Out of the students who still remain unprepared for a virtual schoolroom class, 102 million live in 14 countries that have kept their schools fully or partially closed for at least half of the Covid-19 pandemic and keeping children out of any kind of online education.

The Remote Learning Readiness Index measures countries’ readiness to deliver remote learning in response to disruptions of in-person education, covering almost 90 per cent of students in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

The analysis focuses on three domains: the availability of home-based assets and parents’ education levels; deployment of policies and training for teachers; and the education sector’s preparedness for emergencies.

According to the report, African countries like Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger and Togo are among the countries with the most significant need for improvement within the education sector.

Of 67 countries assessed, 31 were not ready to provide remote learning at all levels of education, with school children in West and Central Africa most affected.

The report added that Argentina, Barbados, Jamaica, and the Philippines had the highest level of readiness.

“Even in the midst of an ongoing emergency, we know there will be another one, but we aren’t making enough progress to ensure the next time students are forced out of the classroom, they have better options,” said Henrietta Fore, Unicef Executive Director.

“While disruptive, the past 19 months have given us a glimpse of what is possible during and after the pandemic. Together with partners, we have been working hard at work to leverage the power of technology and to provide learning opportunities for children and young people everywhere.”

—-INDIA NEWS STREAM