Long school closures are a major risk, say other UN organizations such as the WHO and Unicef. Especially in poorer countries, a school is much more than an educational institution. It means a place where you often get a hot meal and where it is relatively safe.
Moreover, there is a good chance that many young people will now never return to school. International organizations are most concerned about girls: they are especially vulnerable.
Teenage pregnancies
Mary’s story is no exception. “Girls who go to school are less likely to become pregnant early and are less likely to be married off young,” says Mercy Musomi of the Kenyan organization Girl Child Network, which tries to keep girls in school. That was already a difficult task for corona.
For example, the number of teenage pregnancies in Kenya has always been high. “And that’s only going to increase now,” says Musomi. “Girls now have too much time to do other things. And we usually don’t see pregnant girls back at school.”
Glen doesn’t want to go back and his mother is okay with it now. She needs his income. Other former classmates will soon no longer go, says Glen. “Some of the boys have joined gangs. I even know that two or three boys from my school have been murdered in the past six months.” He is proud that at least he earns his money fairly.
Disastrous
The government says it is well aware that these problems are at play. The youth should continue to learn on their own at home. There are lessons via radio, television and online. But not all children have a radio or television or even electricity at home. And online learning is a long way off for many.
“It works in the richer neighborhoods, but not here in the slums,” says Billian Okoth Ojiwa. He runs a youth center in the area where Glen and Mary also live. “Most parents don’t have a smartphone here. And if they already have one, there is no money to buy credit. Moreover, many parents cannot help with schoolwork because they never finished school themselves or because they have to work to get their family to feed. “
Ojiwa tries to close the gap as best he can. For example, children can go to the center for a hot meal and students from the neighborhood can take lessons via Zoom. “But many young people are now busy with completely different things. This is disastrous.”
Inequality is increasing
Kenya made the decision to cancel the school year in July because the corona spike was expected in December and the government wanted to keep children, young people and teachers free from corona. Meanwhile, the official number of infections per day has decreased enormously. In the country, 36,301 infections and 634 deaths have been recorded.
Another reason for canceling the school year was precisely because the government saw that many children were lagging behind and had no access to home schooling. The government thought it would be better for everyone to repeat the year.
But more expensive private schools often continue with online programs anyway. “The inequality between young people in good schools, who can learn online, and young people in poor neighborhoods is now only getting worse,” says Ojiwa.
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