Due to covid-19, over 850 million students worldwide not at school: UNESCO

Calling it an “unprecedented challenge” for education, UNESCO said schools had been closed in 102 countries, with partial closures in 11 more -- and there would be more closures.

More than 850 million young people, or nearly half the world’s student population, are barred from their school and university grounds because of the coronavirus pandemic, UNESCO said Wednesday.

A teacher sits in an empty classroom after Tamil Nadu state government ordered the closure of primary schools across the state amid coronavirus fears, in Chennai, India. (REUTERS)

Calling it an “unprecedented challenge” for education, UNESCO said schools had been closed in 102 countries, with partial closures in 11 more -- and there would be more closures.