Coronavirus crisis slowing global education rate: UNESCO.

The 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) indicates that the coronavirus crisis is adversely impacting the global rate of education, particularly of disadvantaged learners.

According to the report, fewer than 10 percent of countries have laws that ensure full inclusion in education. Besides, 40 percent of the poorest countries did not provide specific support to disadvantaged learners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report, titled 'Inclusion and education: All means All', lists background, identity and ability as some of the broader "key factors" analyzed for this report. It also promotes a set of key recommendations for the next ten years and urges countries to focus on those left behind as schools reopen, in order to foster 'more resilient and equal societies.'

Inclusive education should be a 'non-negotiable' right for all children, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said in the foreword of the report. "It has never been more crucial to make education a universal right, and a reality for all', she said. However, as underlying inequalities exacerbate learners' needs, well-meaning laws and policies often falter, and educational...