10 August 2020
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has cautioned that the world faces a “generational catastrophe” because of school closures that took place globally this year.
Guterres said that as of mid-July, schools were closed in some 160 countries, affecting more than 1 billion students.
“Now we face a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities,” said Guterres during a recent launch of a UN “Save our Future” campaign.
In Singapore, former Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said previously that extended closure of schools would have a negative impact on students in academic terms, as well as in terms of their social development.
Co-curricular activities have resumed and students in Singapore have returned to having physical lessons in class. Nonetheless, intermingling across classes and levels is still kept low, with fixed exam-style seating and staggered arrival, dismissal and recess timings.
In university campuses, classes and consultations with no more than 50 people are permitted, but all large-scale classes and lectures continue to be held online.