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ANNE COLLEGE LUCENA, INC

Diversion Rd. Brgy. Gulang-Gulang, Lucena City
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND SCIENCES
MANILA,25 August 2021-- A child's first day of school—a landmark moment for
the youngest students and their parents around the world—has been delayed due to
COVID-19 for an estimated 140 million young minds, UNICEF said in a new analysis
released as summer break comes to end in many parts of the world.
The Philippines is one of the five countries in the world that have not started in-
person classes since the pandemic began, affecting the right to learn of more than 27
million Filipino students. While new variants are causing a rise of infections, UNICEF is
advocating for a phased reopening of schools, beginning in low-risk areas. This can be done
on a voluntary basis with proper safety protocols in place.
"The first day of school is a landmark moment in a child's life—setting them off on a
life-changing path of personal learning and growth. Most of us can remember countless
minor details—what clothes we wore, our teacher's name, who we sat next to. But for
millions of children, that important day has been indefinitely postponed," said UNICEF
Executive Director Henrietta Fore. "As classes resume in many parts of the world, millions
of first graders have been waiting to see the inside of a classroom for over a year. Millions
more may not see one at all this school term. For the most vulnerable, their risk of never
stepping into a classroom in their lifetime is skyrocketing."
For an estimated eight million students around the globe—who should have been in
the first grade— the wait for their first day of in-person learning has been over a year and
counting, as they live in places where schools have been closed throughout the pandemic.
The first grade sets up the building blocks for all future learning, with introductions to
reading, writing, and math. It's also a period when in-person learning helps children gain
independence, adapt to new routines, and develop meaningful relationships with teachers
and students. In-person learning also enables teachers to identify and address learning
delays, mental health issues, and abuse that could negatively affect children’s well-being.
“In 2020, schools globally were fully closed for an average of 79 teaching days, while
the Philippines has been closed for more than a year, forcing students to enroll in distance
learning modalities. The associated consequences of school closures – learning loss, mental
distress, missed vaccinations, and heightened risk of drop out, child labour, and child
marriage – will be felt by many children, especially the youngest learners in critical
development stages,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov says.
While countries worldwide are taking some actions to provide remote learning, at least 29
per cent of primary students are not being reached. In addition to lack of assets for remote
learning, the youngest children may not be able to participate due to a lack of support using
the technology, a poor learning environment, pressure to do household chores, or being
forced to work.
Studies have shown that positive school experiences during this transition period
are a predictor of children’s future social, emotional and educational outcomes. At the same
time, children who fall behind in learning during the early years often stay behind for the
ST. ANNE COLLEGE LUCENA, INC
Diversion Rd. Brgy. Gulang-Gulang, Lucena City
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND SCIENCES
remaining time they spend in school, and the gap widens over the years. The number of
years of education a child receives also directly affects their future earnings.
Unless mitigation measures are implemented, the World Bank estimates a loss of
$10 trillion in earnings over time for this entire generation of students. Existing evidence
shows the cost of addressing learning gaps are lower and more effective when they are
tackled earlier, and that investments in education support economic recovery, growth and
prosperity.
UNICEF urges governments to reopen schools for in-person learning as soon as

possible, and to provide a comprehensive recovery response for students. Together with
the World Bank and UNESCO, UNICEF is calling for governments to focus on three key
priorities for recovery in schools:
Targeted programmes to bring all children and youth back in school where they
can access tailored services to meet their learning, health, psychosocial well-being, and
other needs;
Effective remedial learning to help students catch up on lost learning;
Support for teachers to address learning losses and incorporate digital technology
into their teaching.
"Your first day of school is a day of hope and possibility—a day for getting off to a
good start. But not all children are getting off to a good start. Some children are not even
starting at all," said Fore." We must reopen schools for in-person learning as soon as
possible, and we must immediately address the gaps in learning this pandemic has already
created. Unless we do, some children may never catch up."
In the following weeks, UNICEF will continue to mobilize its partners and the public
to prevent this education crisis from becoming an education catastrophe. Online and offline
campaigns will rally world leaders, teachers, and parents around a common cause: reopen
schools for in-person learning as soon as possible. The future of the world’s most
vulnerable children is at stake.
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Source: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/filipino-children-
continue-missing-education-opportunities-another-year-school

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ANNE COLLEGE LUCENA, INC

UNICEF urges governments to reopen schools for in-person learning as soon as

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