Schools Closed for Nearly Two Years, Says Zhanna Andreasian

The longest closure due to the pandemic has occurred in Ugandan schools. They were closed for nearly two years—83 weeks—and reopened only in mid-January. This was reported by Zhanna Andreasian, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports.

“During this time, many school buildings have been sold, turned into restaurants, parking lots, and are now no longer operational. We are talking about 15 million children, for whom it has been decided that they will simply study an additional year. The impact of the pandemic on educational poverty or deficiency has become a striking indicator of a new type of inequality in the world,” she noted.