Chronicle Editor
Home learning may itself be a source of stress for families and learners, with pressure to take on new responsibilities, sometimes with limited time or resources.
Many children are suffering from anxiety, living without access to the internet or other means required to benefit from distance learning.
Some older children are stressed about missing months of education as they have to care for younger children in the home while parents and caregivers are working. Parents/caregivers who do not have the same level of education, or do not speak the major language of instruction in the country, or who have children with special educational needs, face compounded challenges.
The mental health implications of the Covid-19 outbreak are far reaching.
Past experience tells us that there are also heightened sexual and reproductive health vulnerabilities and risks when schools close for more than a few weeks, particularly among the most disadvantaged, and among girls. With more and more families under financial stress and many falling into poverty, and children left unsupervised as parents work away from the home, rates of early and forced marriage and early and unintended pregnancy increase. There are also increased incidents of unplanned or forced sexual activity in adolescents and young people, presenting risks such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.
As the world faces this unparalleled challenge, the critical role that schools play in supporting the health and wellbeing of learners, and indeed the whole school community, through school health and wellbeing programmes, has become more appreciated than ever.
Going forward, as schools gradually re-open, ministries of education must consider how to maintain appropriate health and hygiene standards to prevent transmission of Covid-19, to ensure that teachers and other school staff can work safely and effectively.
Compounding the challenges, governments must also now look for ways to get much-needed meals to families who need it most, as a result of the disruption to regular school-feeding programmes. This ensures they can continue to receive their food and nutritional requirements while being supported to deal with a potential loss of income during the crisis. — UNESCO
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