More than half a billion children have lost their access to education as a result of coronavirus lockdowns, according to estimates by the UN, largely due to a lack of internet access which has prevented them from attending school remotely.
About 512m children under the age of 18 around the world cannot access education while school closures are in place, the UN estimated.
Primary school children have been particularly badly affected by the reduction in access to education, according to the research; children of primary school age accounted for almost 70 per cent of the total number who were missing out on schooling. Almost 60 per cent of all primary-age children had lost access to education, the UN said.