School closures by authorities to stem the spread of the COVID-19 scourge have left some 60 per cent of the world’s children without education, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In its new report titled, Human Development Perspectives COVID-19: Assessing the impact, envisioning the recovery”, the global agency estimated the percentage of primary school age children who are not getting any education, as well as those not connected to Internet access, was now at “global levels not seen since the 1980s.”

With classrooms shuttered and stark divides in access to online learning, the UNDP assessments show that 86 per cent of children in primary education are now effectively out-of-school in countries with low human development, compared with just 20 per cent in nations with very high levels of development. Nevertheless, hope is within reach for countries to close the yawning education gap, by providing more equitable Internet access.