prior to COVID-19, although more students were in school, this was not translated into more learning, as more than half of the children across the globe suffered from learning poverty, which meant they were either not in school or were merely unable to read and understand a simple story by age 10. This was further exacerbated by the pandemic which forced an additional 10 per cent of children into learning poverty, and experts estimate that up to $10 trillion in earnings could be lost by students currently in school due to the learning deficit.
On the other hand, the Secretary-General noted that along with its challenges, the pandemic also offers a window of opportunity to prioritise investment in resilient and equitable education systems, while having a sharp focus on equity and cost-effectiveness, in order to address leaning poverty, especially in poor and vulnerable settings. “The benefits are clear: investing in learning outcomes is central to building human capital which drives productivity, prosperity and progress,” she said, in a statement issued on Monday. Scotland pointed out that every year of schooling not only raises a person’s earnings by 10 per cent but also uplifts a country’s GDP by 18 per cent. Moreover, if all adults had just more years of schooling, nearly 60 million people could be bailed out of poverty.
However, she added that such interventions, however effective, are not sufficient on…
