​​​​​​​World Bank official questions continued closure of schools due to COVID 19 pandemic

There is no justification in keeping schools closed now, according to World Bank Global Education Director Jaime Saavedra.

Saavedra has stated that there is no need to keep schools closed in the light of the COVID-19 panedmic and that if eve there are new waves, closure of schools should be the last resort. Saavedra’s statement comes in the light of the continued closure of schools, almost entirely in the country, due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Saavedra, whose team has been tracking the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector, has said that there is no evidence to show that reopening of schools has resulted in a surge in the COVID cases or that the schools are not a ‘safe place’.

He said there is no science to wait for the schools to open, till all the children are vaccinated and that there is no sense in such a public policy perspective.  He added that there is no evidence to relate the spread of the virus to the opening of schools.

According to the World Bank, 681,709,287  students are away from school the world over, due to the closure of schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 92,477,549 students are affected world over, due to the partial closure of their schools.