From Ebola to Coronavirus: Education Must Not Be Forgotten in a Health Crisis

The challenge faced during the 2014 epidemic in West Africa of ensuring that children don’t fall between the cracks now confronts the whole world. The global coronavirus pandemic and the more concentrated Ebola virus epidemic – which killed more than 11,000 people – are very different situations. But there are similarities in the way in which education and the safety of children is affected. In both health crises—as in many humanitarian emergencies—education was hit quickly and hit hard. Ebola forced five million children out of school for up to nine months in the West African nations of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Many never went back. The current pandemic has disrupted the education of ninety per cent of the world’s students, from pre-primary to university. There are fears that—as with the West Africa crisis—many young people will fall through the cracks, disappear from the school systems and become long-term victims of the emergency. “While we hope that children and students will soon be able to go back to school, let’s make sure that global education is not forgotten during the crisis or in its aftermath,” said Theirworld President Justin van Fleet… Complete Article HERE