The end of education for the world’s poorest children.

Written by Karrie Lam

The world’s poorest children are forced out of school and into work. Most of their employment is illegal, oftentimes at textile sweatshops and loosely regulated construction sites. Sometimes, they are just hauling gravel and begging for weeds on plantations.

UNESCO estimates that 23.8 million additional children and youth (from pre-primary to tertiary) may drop out or not have access to school next year due to the pandemic’s economic impact alone.

In India, elementary schools and middle schools remain closed indefinitely. With a lack of access to the internet, computers, etc., millions of children are unable to continue their education. Since many parents are rendered jobless in the pandemic, they have resorted to pushing their children into the labour force. The longer the children work, the more the family becomes dependent on their source of income. Concerns have arisen over whether these children will ever return to school at all.

Given this situation, there have been increases in forced marriages, teenage pregnancy and child trafficking. The Social Development Goals 4 and 10 set by the United Nations also faces risk of its progress reversing.

Click below for further readings

Futures in Peril: The Rise of Child Labor in the Pandemic

As Covid-19 Closes Schools, the World’s Children Go to Work

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