World education faces one of the deepest crises, recognizes UNESCO

Laura Poy Solano

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, September 18, 2022, p. 10

World education faces one of the deepest crises in history, warns the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Learning has fallen to such low levels, he says, that 64 percent of 10-year-olds cannot read or understand a simple written story.

At the Summit for the Transformation of Education, which takes place in New York until tomorrow, he points out that 90 percent of students interrupted their training due to the covid-19 pandemic, which severely affected their access to knowledge.

Added to this is the fact that 220 million children have not returned to school due to armed conflicts, forced displacement, climatic disasters or poverty.

At the meeting, which brings together leaders from the sector, representatives of civil organizations and ministers from the member countries, António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, will launch a call to improve access to equitable and inclusive instruction, which leave no one behind, allow the recovery of learning, as well as optimize financing.

The challenges to guarantee millions of children and adolescents the right to education are many. The World Food Program (WFP) warns that half of those who suffer from hunger are children of school age.

He underlines that the lack of food has devastating consequences for education and the ability of students to recover learning lost during school closures due to covid-19.

According to WFP data, the global food crisis would have left 23 million children under 18 years of age in a situation of acute food insecurity since the beginning of 2022, which increases the number of hungry children to 153 million, almost half of the 345 million people who suffer from this scourge in 82 countries.

The agency also highlights that school meal programs are among the largest and most effective social safety nets for students, mainly basic education, because it not only keeps them in the classroom, mainly girls, but also improves their nutrition. and learning outcomes.

Added to this is the positive effect on local economies, by creating jobs and livelihoods in communities, and most importantly, help break the links between hunger, an unsustainable food system and the learning crisis.