COVID-19 disrupts education of more than 70 per cent of youth

By HELEN SHOK JOK, Abuja

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says the COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating effect on the education and training of young people.

It believes that the disproportionate effect of the pandemic on young people has exacerbated inequality and risks reducing the productive potential of an entire generation.

According to the report ‘Youth and COVID-19: impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being’,  65 per cent of young people reported having learned less since the beginning of the pandemic because of the transition from classroom to online and distance learning during lock down.

Despite their efforts to continue studying and training, half of them believed their studies would be delayed and nine percent thought that they might fail.

Since the outset of the pandemic, according to an analysis by the ILO, over 70 per cent of youth who study or combine study with work have been adversely affected by the closing of schools, Universities and training centres.

The situation, it says, has been even worse for youth living in lower-income countries, who have less access to Internet, lack of equipment and sometimes lack of space at home.

“This highlights large “digital divides” between regions: while 65 per cent of youth in high-income countries were taught classes via video-lecture, only 18 per cent in low-income countries could keep studying online.

“The pandemic is inflicting multiple shocks on young people. It is not only destroying their jobs and employment prospects, but also disrupting their education and training and having serious impacts on their mental well being. We cannot let this happen,” says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

Uncertainty

According to the report, 38 percent of young people are uncertain of their future career prospects, with the crisis expected to create more obstacles in the labour market and to lengthen the transition from school to work.

Some have already felt a direct impact, with one in six youth having to stop work since the onset of the pandemic.

Many younger workers are more likely to be employed in highly affected occupations, such as support, services and sales-related work, making them more vulnerable to the economic consequences of the pandemic. Forty-two per cent of those who have continued to work have seen their incomes reduced.

This has had an impact on their mental well-being. The survey found that 50 per cent of young people are possibly subject to anxiety or depression, while a further 17 per cent are probably affected by it.

Despite the extreme circumstances, the ILO says young people are using their energy to mobilise and speak-out in the fight against the crisis.

According to the survey, one in four did some volunteer work during the pandemic.

“Ensuring that youth voices are heard is critical to delivering a more inclusive response to the COVID-19 crisis.

“Giving young people a say in decision making to articulate their needs and ideas improves the effectiveness of policies and programmes and gives youth the chance to participate in their delivery,” says the report.

The report also calls for urgent, large-scale and targeted policy responses to protect a whole generation of young people from having their employment prospects permanently scarred by the crisis.

This includes, among other measures, re-integrating into the labour market those who have lost their jobs or who have experienced a reduction in working hours, and ensuring youth access to unemployment insurance benefits and measures to boost their mental health, from psycho-social support to sports activities.

“Youth and COVID-19: impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being,” is published by the ILO, AIESEC,  the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the European Youth Forum, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth. (VON)