A quarter-billion children getting no education: UNChildren from poorer communities as well as girls, the disabled, immigrants and ethnic minorities were at a distinct educational disadvantage in many countries, UNESCO said. Children from poorer communities as well as girls, the disabled, immigrants and ethnic minorities were at a distinct educational disadvantage in many countries, the UN's Paris-based education body UNESCO said. In 2018, "258 million children and youth were entirely excluded from education, with poverty as the main obstacle to access," the report found. In 20 poor countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, hardly any rural girls complete secondary school, UNESCO said. UNESCO urged countries to focus on disadvantaged children when schools reopen after coronavirus lockdowns.

Source: Bangkok Post June 23, 2020 00:11 UTC