Education on Hold: A Generation of Children in Latin and the Caribbean Are Missing Out on School Because of COVID-19

More than seven months into the pandemic, COVID-19 is putting education on hold for more than 137 million children in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is according to a new UNICEF report about the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on education. 

The report also finds that COVID-19 has further widened the education gaps between rich and poor families in Latin America and the Caribbean. New UNICEF data shows that the percentage of children not receiving any form of education across the region has soared dramatically, from 4 to 18 per cent in the past few months. UN projections reveal that COVID-19 may push up to 3 million additional children out of school in Latin America and the Caribbean.