NEW DELHI: A report released by the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and the World Food Programme (WFP) noted that more than 39 billion in-school meals have been missed globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to closure imposed on schools. The report cited that according to latest estimates, 24 million schoolchildren are at risk of dropping out of school owing to the pandemic, which will reverse the progress made in terms of enrolment in schools in recent decades.
Henrietta Fore, Director, Executive UNICEF, said that despite the clear evidences available that schools are not primary drivers of SARS-CoV-2 infections, millions of children are still facing school closures around the world. He added, “Children depending on schools for their daily meals are not only losing out on education but also on a reliable source of nutrition.”
According to Fore, world needs to prioritize the reopening of schools and take appropriate action to make them as safe as possible by making renewed investments in proven preventive measures against the infection like clean water, masks, soap, and social distancing in every school.
David Beasley, Executive Director, WFP, said that missing out on nutritious school meals is jeopardizing the future of millions of the world’s poorest children and thereby the world risks losing a whole generation. He said that UNICEF-WFP must support governments to safely reopen schools because, for many children, the nutritious meal they get in school is the only food they receive all day.
The report revealed that there has been an overall reduction of 30 per cent in the coverage of essential nutrition services during the pandemic. It also said that in some countries, during nationwide lockdowns, all school feeding programmes were cancelled. The report added that country-level analysis, previous knowledge of the impact of crises on food security and nutrition, and existing nutrition deficiency among school-going children and adolescents, are cause of major concern.