COVID-19: World Facing ‘Generational Catastrophe’ On Education, Warns UN Chief Antonio Guterres

United Nations: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned the world about facing a ‘generational catastrophe’ because of school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said that getting students safely back to the classroom must be the ‘top priority’.

Guterres said that as of mid-July schools were closed in some 160 countries, affecting more than 1 billion students, while at least 40 million children have missed out on preschools, as reported by News18.

While launching the UN campaign, ‘Save Our Future’, the secretary said, “Now we face a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities.”
This came on top of more than 250 million children already being out of school before the pandemic and only a quarter of secondary school students in developing countries leaving with basic skills,” he further added in a video statement.

“Once local transmission of COVID-19 is under control, getting students back into schools and learning institutions as safely as possible must be a top priority,” he said. “Consultation with parents, carers, teachers and young people is fundamental.”

The UN recommendations came after the US President Donald Trump has asked schools to reopen and has been facing opposition from some teachers and parents.

The coronavirus has already infected 4.6 million people in the United States with more than 155,000 deaths.