UNICEF has scaled up support in 145 countries, including Cambodia, to help children continue their studies after school closures around the world due to Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) gave funds to support the creation of a Khmer e-learning platform for students from grades 7-12 to study online for free.
School closures have disrupted the studies of 80 per cent of students around the world. Unicef declared further support for all countries to help children continue their learning and make schooling safe, it said in a recent announcement from New York City, US.
“Most countries closed the doors. This situation has never been seen before and if we do not act now to educate children, society and economies would face disaster in the long run after Covid-19 has been overcome.
“In the most vulnerable communities, the impact will continue to the next generation,” said Robert Jenkins, its chief, education and associate director, Programme Division, at Unicef Headquarters.
He said that based on the lessons learnt from school closures in response to Ebola, the longer students stay away from school, the less likely they would return.
Giving children more alternatives to learn, and building a routine, he said, is important.
To deal with the disruption to children’s education and help them continue learning safely, Unicef has allocated additional funding of $13 million for about 145 countries.
Source: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/unicef-promotes-e-learning-scheme
