Covid-19 and loss of learning explained by Nobel Laureate Abhijeet Banerjee

Nobel Laureate Abhijeet Banerjee explained how Covid-19 has impacted the education system and the economy. He also informed how to overcome this loss.

Schools have been reopening in India after a long break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning losses due to school closures are one of the biggest global threats to long-term recovery from Covid-19 and the economic cost will be severe if corrective action is not taken urgently, according to Nobel laureate Abhijeet Banerjee.

Noting that temporary school closures will cause permanent damage he said merely reopening schools will not be enough and not measuring learning losses and taking steps to integrate children back into the system will be a 'recipe for disaster'.

"The short- and long-term impact of the Covid-19 crisis on children's education, wellbeing, and future productivity is profound. Almost two years after schools began closing in most countries across the world, governments need to take urgent steps to limit the damage.

Estimates suggest the economic cost of lost learning from the crisis will be in the trillions of US dollars if corrective action is not urgently taken," Banerjee told PTI in an telephonic interview from Massachusetts in the US.

"While many other sectors have rebounded when lockdowns ease, the damage to children's education is likely to reduce children's wellbeing and productivity for decades, making education disruption and learning losses due to school closures one of the biggest threats to medium- and long-term recovery from Covid-19 unless governments act swiftly," he added.