MORE than 1.5 billion pupils are not attending schools or universities due to restrictions triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) said today.

“More than 1.5 billion pupils around the world are not attending school due to the new #coronavirus,” Sputnik news agency quoted a tweet from Unesco.

According to the UN agency, more than 160 countries have ordered nationwide closures of educational facilities, with the measures affecting more than 87% of the world’s student population. Several countries, however, have confined themselves to closing schools only in the most vulnerable areas.

“Unesco is providing immediate support to countries as they work to minimise the educational disruption and facilitate the continuity of learning, especially for the most vulnerable,” the agency added.

According to Johns Hopkins University’s statistics, the coronavirus has already infected more than 720,000 people worldwide. 

Of these, 152,042 people have recovered and 34,018 have died. To contain the pandemic, countries across the world are implementing social distancing measures, distance learning and remote work. – Bernama, March 30, 2020.