HONG KONG: The coronavirus epidemic reached deeper into daily life across the world on Wednesday, with a sweeping shutdown of all schools in Italy and warnings of school closings in the US, intensifying the educational upheaval of nearly 300 million students globally.
Only a few weeks ago, China, where the outbreak began, was the only country to suspend classes. But the virus has spread so quickly that by Wednesday, 22 countries on three continents had announced school closings of varying degrees, leading the UN to warn that “the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled.”
Students are now out of school in South Korea, Iran, Japan, France, Pakistan, the US and elsewhere — some for only a few days, others for weeks on end. In Italy, officials said on Wednesday that they would extend school closings beyond the north, where the government has imposed a lockdown on several towns, to the entire nation. All schools and varsities will remain closed until March 15, officials said.
The speed and scale of the educational tumult — which now affects 290.5 million students worldwide, the UN says — has little parallel in modern history, educators and economists contend. In some countries, older students have missed crucial study sessions for college admissions exams, while younger ones have risked falling behind in reading and math. Parents have lost wages, tried to work at home or scrambled to find child care. Some have moved children to new schools in areas unaffected by the coronavirus and lost milestones like graduation ceremonies or last days of school.
“I can’t think of any instances in modern times where advanced economies shut down schools nationally for prolonged periods of time,” said Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.
Only a few weeks ago, China, where the outbreak began, was the only country to suspend classes. But the virus has spread so quickly that by Wednesday, 22 countries on three continents had announced school closings of varying degrees, leading the UN to warn that “the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled.”
Students are now out of school in South Korea, Iran, Japan, France, Pakistan, the US and elsewhere — some for only a few days, others for weeks on end. In Italy, officials said on Wednesday that they would extend school closings beyond the north, where the government has imposed a lockdown on several towns, to the entire nation. All schools and varsities will remain closed until March 15, officials said.
The speed and scale of the educational tumult — which now affects 290.5 million students worldwide, the UN says — has little parallel in modern history, educators and economists contend. In some countries, older students have missed crucial study sessions for college admissions exams, while younger ones have risked falling behind in reading and math. Parents have lost wages, tried to work at home or scrambled to find child care. Some have moved children to new schools in areas unaffected by the coronavirus and lost milestones like graduation ceremonies or last days of school.
“I can’t think of any instances in modern times where advanced economies shut down schools nationally for prolonged periods of time,” said Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.
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