In the past 18 months, the Coronavirus pandemic has deprived nearly 77 million children of school. In many countries, schools have been closed for too long. In the north, children were able to continue studying thanks to new technologies that allow distance learning. In the south, the lack of means has created a gap between children and access to education.
School closures must remain exceptional: UNICEF believes that “we can no longer afford to disrupt the education of this generation of children.”
Burkina Faso: back to school under stress because of the security situation
Burkina Faso closed its schools during the peaks of the pandemic and then reopened them as the pandemic progressed, which remains stable and less alarming than in Europe at present. Today, however, many schools remain closed due to a second scourge that endangers the education of an entire generation: terrorist violence.
According to a recent statement by Mr. Stanislas Ouaro, Minister of Education, the number of schools closed due to terrorist attacks is increasing: “As of January 30, 2020, we recorded 2,369 closed establishments affecting 325,245 pupils and 10,408 teachers with 623 damaged establishments. Since that date, we unfortunately deplore 36 additional closed primary schools ”. At the same time, the minister communicated on the reopening of 824 schools and the re-enrollment of more than 20,000 pupils from closed establishments or internally displaced pupils in reception establishments. Since January 2016, 10 teachers have been killed according to the authorities.
